Treasure map: across, then up
Loading…
What you will learn
By the end, you can read a point as (across, up) and follow compass directions and turns like north, east and a quarter turn right.
Captain Ana’s treasure map has a grid and one line of instructions: “Start at (3, 2), then walk two squares north to the chest.” Her crew argues about whether 3 means across or up. Ana knows the rule, across first and then up, and digs up the chest before the argument ends.
Read the explanation
A coordinate is a pair of numbers: (x, y). Read x first, how far across from the corner, then y, how far up. Say it like walking: along the corridor, then up the stairs. A compass names four main directions: north (N) is at the top of the map, then east (E), south (S) and west (W) going round clockwise. A quarter turn right from north faces you east; a half turn from north faces you south.
- Across first (x), then up (y): (3, 5) means across 3, up 5.
- N, E, S, W go round clockwise, like 12, 3, 6 and 9 on a clock.
- A quarter turn right moves one step round: N to E, E to S.