Definition
Y-coordinate
The y-coordinate is the second number in an ordered pair and gives vertical position.
What it means
Read the second number and move vertically. A positive y-coordinate moves up from the origin; a negative one moves down. Points lined up on the same horizontal line have the same y-coordinate.
Remember it
y comes second: move up or down after moving sideways.
Example
For the point (−4, 3), the second number is 3. Its y-coordinate is 3, so the point is three units above the x-axis.
Watch for
A point on the x-axis has y-coordinate 0, even when its x-coordinate is not 0.
Common mix-up
The y-coordinate is the second number and shows up or down; the x-coordinate is the first and shows left or right.
Exact meaning
In an ordered pair (x, y) on a standard coordinate plane, the y-coordinate is the second coordinate. It gives vertical position relative to the origin: positive values are above and negative values are below.