Definition:Axis/Z-Axis/Right-Hand Rule
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Definition
The usual convention for the orientation of the $z$-axis is that of the right-hand rule:
Let the coordinate axes be oriented as follows:
Then the $z$-axis increases from below to above.
If the $x$-axis and $y$-axis are aligned with a piece of paper or a screen aligned perpendicular to the line of sight, this translates into the following orientation:
Then the $z$-axis increases from behind to in front (that is, from further away to closer in).
Sources
- 2008: Ian Stewart: Taming the Infinite ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $6$: Curves and Coordinates: Descartes