A list of three components written in a specific order is called an ordered triple. The same is true for ordered pairings. The numbers 1, 2 and 3 can form 6 ordered triples: (1,2,3), (1,3,2), (2,1,3), (2,3,1), (3,1,2), (3,2,1) Two variables are frequently represented by ordered pairs. When we write (x, y) = (7, - 2), we mean x = 7 and y = - 2. The x-coordinate is the number that corresponds to the value of x, and the y-coordinate is the