I always thought about it like this. Put your fancy page with X-Y coordinates on the ground. Add a new dimension perpendicular to the ground. This is the Z-axis, it goes up.
I could see that being totally valid after thinking about it for a second!
I imagine it as a new dimension growing “up” out of the X/Y plane (as burrowing into the ground would be going into “occupied” space, it’s forbidden). But “depth” does make that make more sense.
You looked down at the math book on your desk that showed the X-Y graph on the page, and the Y axis extended forward, away from you. Z was “up”.
I always thought about it like this. Put your fancy page with X-Y coordinates on the ground. Add a new dimension perpendicular to the ground. This is the Z-axis, it goes up.
I have to agree as well, the ground is the most natural plane to be x-y.
But in those cases, isn’t positive Z going “away” from you ? I.e. Into the ground ?
And in math classes this has always been described to me as adding “depth”.
I could see that being totally valid after thinking about it for a second!
I imagine it as a new dimension growing “up” out of the X/Y plane (as burrowing into the ground would be going into “occupied” space, it’s forbidden). But “depth” does make that make more sense.