It is said that he was ill and in bed. He looked up at the ceiling where he noticed a fly. He figured out that knowing the distances from a corner of the ceiling along the two adjacent sides of the ceiling will uniquely identify its location. So, if the corner of the ceiling was the origin and the two adjacent sides were the axes, you have the Cartesian plane.
The story is that he was ill and lying in bed. He watched an insect crawling on the rectangular ceiling and worked out that he could identify the exact location of the insect using only two numbers. These would represent the distance from any corner of the ceiling along two perpendicular directions.
Rene Descartes.
Descartes and His Coordinate System.
Rene Descartes used the Cartesian coordinate system for algebraic equations. Through the system he was able to give a visual representation of the equations.
Rene Descartes invented the Cartesian coordinate system and the idea of the x-y axis. He used the coordinate system to express equations and formulas visually through slopes and lines. He created a slope for the equation, rather than the equation for a slope.
Rene Descartes valued rationality and human logic. Descartes is famous for his sentence, "I think, therefore I am." It was the mind that Descartes valued more than anything else.
A general coordinate system had to be devised prior to describing planes or other objects. As provided in the link, Rene Descartes is considered the founder of the Cartesian coordinate system in 1637, but Fermat also made contributions. See related links on the lives of Descartes and Fermat.
Think about it, the x & y planes intersect and what one number has both, the x & y planes intersect. 0 on the coordinate plane is the, origin.
Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes
Rene descartes
Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes.
The Cartesian Coordinate System was discovered by Rene Descartes.
René Descartes
Rene Descartes.
Rene Descartes.