<P> In mathematics, an abscissa (/ æbˈsɪs. ə /; plural abscissae or abscissæ or abscissas) is the number whose absolute value (modulus) is the perpendicular distance of a point from the vertical axis; the ordinate is the number whose absolute value is the point's perpendicular distance from the horizontal axis . </P> <P> Usually these are the horizontal and vertical coordinates of a point in a two - dimensional rectangular Cartesian coordinate system . The terms can also refer to the horizontal and vertical axes respectively (typically x-axis and y--axis) of a two - dimensional graph . An ordered pair consists of two terms--the abscissa (horizontal, usually x) and the ordinate (vertical, usually y)--which define the location of a point in two - dimensional rectangular space . </P> <Dl> <Dd> (x ⏞ abscissa, y ⏞ ordinate) (\ displaystyle (\ overbrace (x) ^ (\ text (abscissa)), \ overbrace (y) ^ (\ text (ordinate)))) </Dd> </Dl>

What is the distance of a point from y axis called