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 tells us the x-coordinate of the point and the second number tells us the y-coordinate of the point. We want to graph C( 1, 4.5), so we first find 1 on the x-axis and remember this grid line. The x-coordinate 1 tells us to move 1 unit to the right of the origin — the positive horizontal direction.
Next, we find 4.5 on the y-axis and follow the corresponding horizontal line until it collides with the grid line from our x-coordinate. The y-coordinate 4.5 tells us to move 4.5 units up from the origin — the positive vertical direction.
The point C( 1, 4.5) lies on the point at which these two lines intersect.
