# Coordinate System A **coordinate system** is a mathematical tool used to describe points in mathematical [Space](Space.md) via numbers. For example, consider an arbitrary 2-d space. This space exists *independently* of how we describe it. It is effectively a set of points, with *relations* between them. We can then *describe* these points via a coordinate system. Once we have that coordinate system, we can use different [Metrics](Metric.md) to determine the distance between them. In physics, multiple coordinate systems can be used to describe the same [Reference Frame](Reference%20Frames.md). --- Date: 20240630 Links to: Tags: References: * []()