Exploring Points that are X & Y Intercepts
Most people feel they can handle a single number line, whether it's horizontal, vertical or any other direction. But throw in a second number line (the most common version of which is what we know as the Cartesian Coordinate System), and folks get bent and twisted like nothing. The concept of intercepts are points that exist along either the x-axis or y-axis. These points look and feel just like the points that are used when exploring number lines. Use the following interactive example to explore intercepts, paying extra attention to the behavior of the coordinates.