Who discovered coordinate graphs?

Answer 1

Rene Descartes invented the coordinate system that is most commonly used (where the two axes are perpendicular to each other, and each point is determined by its projection or "shadow" onto the axes). This is why we call them Cartesian coordinates. I believe the legend is that he was observing a fly on his ceiling when he realized he could describe its position based on the lines formed by his ceiling tiles. There are alternative coordinate systems that used in special situations, such as polar coordinates, cylindrical coordinates, and spherical coordinates. Each system has its strengths and weaknesses and each is well-suited to describing certain kinds of objects or functions. Cartesian coordinates, also called rectilinear coordinates, are useful for describing linear/straight objects, whereas the other coordinate systems I mentioned are better for curved objects.