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Polar coordinate seestem

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Pynts in the polar coordinate seestem wi pole O an polar axis L. In green, the pynt wi radial coordinate 3 an angular coordinate 60 degrees, or (3,60°). In blue, the pynt (4,210°).

In mathematics, the polar coordinate seestem is a twa-dimensional coordinate seestem in which each pynt on a plane is determined bi a distance frae a fixed pynt an an angle frae a fixed direction.

The fixed pynt (analogous tae the origin o a Cartesian seestem) is cried the pole, an the ray frae the pole in the fixed direction is the polar axis. The distance frae the pole is cried the radial coordinate or radius, an the angle is the angular coordinate, polar angle, or azimuth.[1]

References

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  1. Brown, Richard G. (1997). Andrew M. Gleason (ed.). Advanced Mathematics: Precalculus with Discrete Mathematics and Data Analysis. Evanston, Illinois: McDougal Littell. ISBN 0-395-77114-5.