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.
x-coordinate
To graph ( - 2, 2), we first find - 2 on the x-axis and make a mental note with a grid line. The x-coordinate - 2 tells us to move two units in the negative horizontal direction.
y-coordinate
Next, we find 2 on the y-axis and make another mental note grid line. Notice that it collides with the grid line from our x-coordinate. The y-coordinate 2 tells us to move two units in the positive vertical direction.
The point ( - 2, 2) lies on the point at which these two grid lines intersect.
