Ordinate
The ordinate is the y-coordinate of a point in the Cartesian coordinate system. It represents the perpendicular distance of that point from the x-axis, measured along a line parallel to the y-axis. In an ordered pair (x, y), the ordinate is the second value.
Key Concepts
In the coordinate pair (x, y), the value 'y' is the ordinate and indicates the vertical position of the point.
If the ordinate is positive, the point lies above the x-axis; if it is negative, the point lies below the x-axis.
The ordinate of any point lying exactly on the x-axis is always zero.
Real World Applications
When tracking a submarine's position on a 2D radar grid, its depth below sea level represents a negative ordinate.
In a video game, the jump height of a character on the screen is determined by the ordinate value in the game's programming.