In an ordered pair, the x-coordinate comes first and the y-coordinate comes second.
Practice makes perfect
In an ( x, y) ordered pair, the first number shows the x-coordinate and the second number shows the y-coordinate. To graph C( 0, -2), we first find 0 on the x-axis and make a mental note of this grid line. The x-coordinate 0 tells us that we do not have to move in horizontal direction from the origin.
Next, we find -2 on the y-axis and follow this grid line until it collides with the grid line from our x-coordinate. The y-coordinate -2 tells us to move 2 units in the negative vertical direction.
The point C( 0, -2) lies on the point at which these two grid lines intersect.
