COORDINATE GEOMETRY
In the diagram, the flag has been plotted on a cartesian plane. What is a cartesian plane?
A Cartesian plane is defined by two perpendicular number lines: the x-axis, which is horizontal, and the y-axis, which is vertical. Using these axes, we can describe any point on the plane using an ordered pair of numbers.
The location of a point on the plane is given by its coordinates, a pair of numbers expressed as (x,y). The first number x denotes the point's horizontal position and the second number y denotes its vertical position. All positions are measured relative to a central point called the origin, whose coordinates are (0,0). As an example, the point (2,3) is 2 units to the right and 3 units up from the origin. Negative coordinate numbers tell us to go left or down.
In the maple leaf diagram, the flag has been plotted with the center of the flag at the origin, the point (0,0). We can further deduce the locations of various other points with a few notable observations:
◎ The white rectangle that the maple leaf is centred on is in fact a square with a length that is half the entire flag.
◎ The two red stripes are twice as long as they are wide and each take up one-quarter of the flag’s length.
◎ The tips of the maple leaf’s side crowns are exactly one eighth along the white square.
CIRCLE GEOMETRY
In this diagram, we can also see circles where the various sides intersect. What this means is that instead of any two lines of the maple leaf meeting at an angle, they come together at a curve or an arc. How do we measure this arc?
This brings up a few more interesting geometrical concepts: