Coordinate Geometry

Oniel Francis
What is coordinate geometry?

Coordinate Geometry is considered to be one of the most

interesting concepts of mathematics. Coordinate Geometry
describes the link between geometry and algebra through
graphs involving curves and lines.

A coordinate is a location which is described using an x and y

value in the format (x,y).
The equation of a straight line

 The equation of a line can be presented in different

forms:

The slope intercept format

y=mx+c
So named because of the variables m and c which
represent the slope(gradient) and the y –intercept
respectively
 Point Slope Form

y - y1 = m (x - x1).

The point slope form is useful if the slope m and a point (x1 ,
y1) through which the line passes are known.
Example 2: The equation of a line that passes through the
point (5 , 7) and has slope - 3 may be written as follows:

y - 7 = - 3 (x - 7)
 The General Form

Ax + By + C = 0

Note:
1. A, B and C cannot be rational numbers (fractions)
2. A must be a positive integer

Note: This is the acceptable format for this course!!!!

 Graph of y = 2x +2

Note the x and y

intercepts 6
4

-2 -1 0 1 2 3 4
-2
Changing from slope intercept to
general form
 Change the equation y = 2x + 2 to general form
Steps :

Subtract y from both sides 0 = 2x – y + 2

or 2x – y + 2 = 0

ta-daaaaaaa !!!

Note: This is the acceptable format for this course!!!!

Convert to general form

11
 1. y = − 10 𝑥 + 1

 2. 3y = 12x – 4

3
 3. y = 5x - 4

2 2
 4. 𝑦 = - 5𝑥 + 4
3
The general form
and intercepts

Remember :
At the y intercept the value of
x =0 ie(0,y)

At the x intercept the value of

y =0 ie( x,0)
Example. Determine intercepts of the line given by the
equation 2x – 5y + 10 = 0.
 X intercept
let y = 0
2x -5(0) + 10 = 0
2x = -10
X = -5 therefore the x intercept is ( -5, 0)

 Y intercept
Let x = 0
2(0) -5y + 10 = 0
-5y + 10 = 0
-5y = -10
Y=2 therefore the y intercept is (0 , 2)
The gradient/slope of a straight line
 The slope of a line can positive, negative, zero or undefined
Positive Slope

Negative Slope
ZERO SLOPE

UNDEFINED SLOPE
Slope/ Gradient Formula
The midpoint of a line

 The midpoint, M, of a segment with endpoints (x1,y1) and

(x2,y2) is

Find the midpoint of the segment with endpoints (–4,–1) and

(2,5).
Try the following worksheet (ctrl + click)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NpB3WPuBMT4hHcVEh1mdHtzMCJfKPnJK/view?usp
=drivesdk
Parallel lines

 Gradient/Slope is a measure of the angle of a line from the horizontal, and

since parallel lines must have the same angle, then parallel lines have the
same slope
IE. Gradient tells steepness and parallel line have the same steepness
Hence equal slopes!!!

Given that the lines represented by y=m1x + c and y = m2x + c are parallel.
We can conclude that :
m1 = m2
Perpendicular lines

 If you visualize a line with positive slope (so it's an increasing line), then
the perpendicular line must have negative slope (because it will have to be
a decreasing line). So perpendicular lines have slopes which have
opposite signs.
 The other "opposite" thing with perpendicular slopes is that their values
are reciprocals; that is, you take the one slope value, and flip it upside
down.
 Put both together and you get that the slope of a perpendicular line is
the "negative reciprocal" of the slope of the original line
Perpendicular lines
 Think about it !

1. One line passes through the points (–1, 2) and (1, 2); another
line passes through the points(-2, 0) and (0, 4).
Are these lines parallel, perpendicular, or neither?

2. One line passes through the points (0, –4) and (–1, –7);
another line passes through the points (3, 0) and (–3, 2). Are
these lines parallel, perpendicular, or neither?
Determine the equation of the line parallel to 0 = 3x – y + 6,
if that line passes through the point (4,7)

Because both lines are parallel we know that m1 = m2 therefore rearranging

the original equation gives y = 3x +6
m=3
Using the slope point form y - y1 = m (x - x1).

y – 7 = 3(x – 4) simplifying

0= 3x – y -12 + 7

Therefore 0 = 3x – y -5
Write the equation of the line in general form
perpendicular to the line y = -5x +1 and passing through
the point (2, -1)
 Remember if l1 and l2 are perpendicular then if the gradient of
1
l1= m l2 = - 𝑚

Note : m1 x m2 = -1

STEP1. Find the gradient of the perpendicular line

Therefore -5 x m2 = -1
-5 m2 = -1 (dividing by -5)
1
m2 =
5
 STEP2. Insert the given point and the gradient we found into the slope point
equation.
y - y1 = m (x - x1).

1
y –(-1) = 5 ( x – 2)

𝑥 2
y+1=5 −5
𝑥 2
0 = 5 - y - 5 − 1 (remember no fractions)
multiply by 5
0 = x – 5y -2 -5
0 = x – 5y - 7
Try These

 Write the equation of the line in general form

perpendicular to the line y = 2x -3 and passing through
the point (-5,3)

 Determine the equation in the general form of the line

parallel to y = x -4, if that line passes through the point
(-2,3)
Length of a line
 Pythagoras' theorem can be used to calculate the distance between two points.

By adding line segments to form a right angled triangle we can use

Pythagoras’ Theorem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzd1UgemJPM

Remember ctrl + click

Now we know that to find the length of a line segment we simple need to use
the formula:

Length = 𝑥2 − 𝑥1 + 𝑦2 − 𝑦1
 1) What is the distance between the points C(-2, 3) and D(0, 5)?

length = 3−5 2 + −2 − 0 2

= −2 2 + −2 2

= 4+4
= 8
Try these

Find the distance between each set of points. Show work.

a) (0, 0) and (4, 3)

b) (3, -3) and (2, 7)

 Point of Intersection of line segments
 Lines that are non-parallel intersect at a unique point. In the
figure below lines L1 and L2 intersect each other at
point P.P. Three or more lines when met at a single point are said
to be concurrent and the point of intersection is point of
concurrency.
 So for example, if we have two lines that have the following equations (in slope-
intercept form):
y = 3x-3
y = 2.3x+4
 At the point of intersection they will both have the same y-coordinate value, so we
set the equations equal to each other:
3x-3 = 2.3x+4
 This gives us an equation in one unknown (x) which we can solve: Re-arrange to
get x terms on left
3x - 2.3x = 4+3
 Combining like terms
0.7x = 7
 Giving x = 10
To find y, simply set x equal to 10 in the equation of either line and
solve for y: Equation for a line (Either line will do)

y = 3x – 3

Let x equal to 10

y = 30 – 3

Giving y = 27

We now have both x and y, so the intersection point is (10, 27)

Try the following activity (ctrl + click)

https://docs.google.com/file/d/1UUUj2tghBHJFjnRqni6MDMInLsbGHSja/edit?us
p=docslist_api&filetype=msword
Sample Problems

 1.) Find the coordinates of all points where the given lines or parabola and
line intersect each other.

 a) 0 = 6x – y + 11 y - 2x + 5 = 0

 b) y = 2x 2 - 8x + 1 y = -4x - 1
Lets see what you have learnt
 Consider the line t given by the equation: 2x + 5y + 30 = 0

1. What is the point of intersection of t with the x-axis?

2. What is the point of intersection of t with the y-axis?

3. What is the point of intersection of t with the line 2x + 5y = 0?

4. What is the point of intersection of t with the line 4x + 10y + 60 = 0?