Cartesian axis
Cartesian axis
[kär′tē·zhən ′ak·səs] (mathematics)
One of a set of mutually perpendicular lines which all pass through a single point, used to define a cartesian coordinate system; the value of one of the coordinates on the axis is equal to the directed distance from the intersection of axes, while the values of the other coordinates vanish.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.