Point in first quadrant
Input
determine_quadrant(3, 4)
Output
Q1
Both x and y are positive, so the point is in quadrant 1.
Full lesson preview
Determine Cartesian Quadrant
Given x and y coordinates, determine which Cartesian quadrant (or axis/origin) the point lies in.
Python practice14 minControl Flow (If–Else Logic)IntermediateLast updated March 15, 2026
Problem statement
Write a function determine_quadrant(x, y) that returns a string indicating where the point (x, y) lies:
- Return 'Q1' if x > 0 and y > 0.
- Return 'Q2' if x < 0 and y > 0.
- Return 'Q3' if x < 0 and y < 0.
- Return 'Q4' if x > 0 and y < 0.
- If the point is on the x-axis (y == 0 but x != 0), return 'X axis'.
- If the point is on the y-axis (x == 0 but y != 0), return 'Y axis'.
- If the point is at the origin (0, 0), return 'Origin'.
Use if/elif/else to implement the logic.
Task
Practice multi-branch decision making using if, elif, and else to return the correct quadrant label or axis/origin description.
Examples
Input format
Two integers x and y passed to the function determine_quadrant(x, y).
Output format
A string among: 'Q1', 'Q2', 'Q3', 'Q4', 'X axis', 'Y axis', or 'Origin'.
Constraints
x and y are integers. Use only basic control flow (if/elif/else).
Samples
Sample 1
Input
determine_quadrant(-2, 3)
Output
Q2
x is negative and y is positive, so quadrant 2.