called the origin, draw a line Y'OY perpendicular to the XOZ plane

so that we have three mutually perpendicular straight lines

X'OX, TOY, Z'OZ
known as rectangular co-ordinate axes. (The plane XOZ containing
the lines X'OX and Z'OZ may be imagined as the plane of the paper ;
the line OY as pointing towards the reader and OY' behind the paper).
The positive directions of the axes are indicated by arrow heads.
These three axes, taken in pairs, determine three planes,
XOY, YOZ and ZOX
or briefly XY, YZ, ZX planes mutually at right angles, known as
rectangular co-ordinate planes.
Through any point, P, in space, draw three planes parallel to the
three co-ordinate planes (being also perpendicular to the corresponding
axes) to moot the a.xes in A y B, C.

Let

QA=x, OB=y and 0(7=?,

2 ANALYTICAL SOLID GEOMETRY

These three numbers, x, y, z, determined by the point P, are
called the co-ordinates of P.
Any one of these x, y, z, will be positive or negative according
as it is measured from O, along the corresponding axis, in the positive
or negative direction.
Conversely, given three numbers, x, y, z, we can find a point
whose co-ordinates are x, y, z. To do this, we proceed as follows :
(f) Measure OA, OB, 00, along OX, 07, OZ equal to x, y, z
respectively.
(ii) Draw through A, B, C planes parallel to the co-ordinate
planes YZ, ZX and XY respectively.
The point where these three planes intersect is the required
point P.
Note. The three co-ordinate planes divide the whole space
partments which are known as eight octants and since each
of a point may be positive or negative, there are 2 3 ( =
inates have the same numerical values and which lie in the
each.

in eight comof the co-ordinates

8) points whose co-ord
eight octants, one in

1*11. Further explanation about co-ordinates. In 1*1 above,

we have learnt that in order to obtain the co-ordinates of a point P,

we have to draw three planes through P respectively parallel to the

three co-ordinate planes. The three planes through P and the three
co-ordinate planes determine a parallelepiped whose consideration
leads to three other useful constructions for determining the coordinates of P.
The parallelopiped, in question, has six rectangular faces
PMAN, LCOB ; PNBL, MAOC ; PLCM, NBOA
(See Fig. 1).
(i) We have
x=OA = CM=LP = perpendicular from P on the YZ plane ;
y=OB=ANMP perpendicular from P on the ZX plane ;
z=OC=AM=NP = perpendicular from P on the XY plane.
Thus the co-ordinates x, y ; z of any point P, are the perpendicular
distances of P from the three rectangular co-ordinate planes YZ, ZX and
XY respectively.
(ii) Since PA lies in the plane PMAN which is perpendicular to
the line OA* 9 therefore

Similarly PBOB and PC OC.

Thus the co-ordinates x, y, z of any point P are also the distances
from the origin of the feet A, B, C of the perpendiculars from the point
to the co-ordinate axes X'X, Y'Y and Z'Z respectively.

* A line perpendicular to a plane is perpendicular to every }jne in the

plane.