Coordinate Grid Treasure Hunt

Explore the coordinate grid by plotting points, hunting for hidden treasures, drawing shapes, and measuring distances. All computation runs in your browser.

Choose an activity

Plot single points on the grid

Plot Points

Click any intersection on the grid to place a point, or type coordinates below.

001122334455667788991010xy0

Reference Guide

The Coordinate Grid

A coordinate grid has two number lines that cross at a point called the origin, which is (0, 0).

  • The x-axis goes left and right (horizontal)
  • The y-axis goes up and down (vertical)
  • The origin is where both axes meet at (0, 0)

In the first quadrant, both x and y are positive numbers.

Plotting Points

Every point is written as an ordered pair like (x, y). The first number is x, the second is y.

  1. Start at the origin (0, 0)
  2. Move right the x number of spaces
  3. Move up the y number of spaces
  4. Place your point at that intersection

Remember: x comes before y, just like in the alphabet!

Drawing Shapes

You can draw shapes on the grid by plotting points and connecting them in order.

  • 3 points make a triangle
  • 4 equal sides + right angles make a square
  • 4 sides + right angles make a rectangle
  • 5+ points make polygons (pentagons, hexagons, etc.)

Count the sides and check the angles to identify each shape.

Finding Distance

You can count grid squares to find the distance between two points.

  • Horizontal distance = how far left or right (count along x)
  • Vertical distance = how far up or down (count along y)
  • Total grid squares = horizontal + vertical steps

For example, from (1, 2) to (4, 2) is 3 squares to the right.