A coordinate system uses numbers (coordinates) to uniquely determine the position of a point in space.
The Cartesian coordinate system (also called rectangular coordinates) uses perpendicular axes: x (horizontal), y (vertical) in 2D, and z (depth) in 3D. Points are represented as (x, y) or (x, y, z). Other coordinate systems include polar coordinates (r, ΞΈ), cylindrical coordinates (r, ΞΈ, z), and spherical coordinates (Ο, ΞΈ, Ο). Coordinate systems are fundamental in navigation, computer graphics, robotics, and physics.
The Cartesian coordinate system was invented by RenΓ© Descartes in 1637, linking algebra and geometry. The story goes that Descartes developed the idea while lying in bed watching a fly crawl on the ceiling. Polar coordinates were developed by Isaac Newton and Jakob Bernoulli in the 17th century. GPS systems today use latitude and longitude, which are spherical coordinates.