Ordinate

See also: ordination

In mathematics, ordinate refers to that element of an ordered pair which is plotted on the vertical axis of a two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, as opposed to the abscissa. The ordinate is the second of the two terms (often labeled x and y) which define the location of a point in such a coordinate system.

$(\overbrace{x}^{abscissa}, \overbrace{y}^{ordinate})$

Examples

• For the point (-7, 3), -7 is called the abscissa and 3, the ordinate.

See also

• Cartesian_coordinate_system#Notations_and_conventions
• ordinate on Wiktionary
• Ordered pair
• Abscissa
• Function (mathematics)
• Relation (mathematics)

References

This article was originally based on material from the Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, which is licensed under the GFDL.