"Rene, would you please get out of bed! This is the third time I've called you to come down for breakfast." "But, Mama, I don't feel well today. Must I get up?" said Rene."If I can lie here just a bit longer, Mama, I can finish my meditation. I was watching this fly on my ceiling and I have this great idea about representing its position in the room. Can't you let me stay just a few minutes more? Please!"

In this section, we will learn how to represent a point on a flat surface, such as a piece of paper. In more advanced work, the representation of a point in a room (space) is discussed. Rene Descartes, the person after whom we name the coordinate system, was a person of frail health. He had a lifelong habit of lying in bed until late in the morning or even Rene Descartes (1596-1650)the early afternoon. It is said that these hours in bed were probably his most productive. During one of these periods, it is presumed, Descartes made the discovery of the coordinate system.