Useful formulae related to spherical coordinate systems

Gabriela Gonzalez September 12, 2006

We use r for the radial coordinate (r > 0), for the azimuthal angle with the z-axis (0 ) and for the polar angle in the x-y axis (0 < 2). The formulae for cartesian coordinates in terms of spherical coordinates are: x = r sin cos y = r sin sin z = r cos The spherical unit vectors in terms of cartesian unit vectors are: er = sin cos + sin sin + cos k i j e = cos cos + cos sin sin k i j e = sin + cos i j These vectors are orthonormal: ei ej = ij and cyclical: ei ej = functions of coordinates:
r er er er

ijk ek ,

but they are

=0 = e = sin e

r e e e

=0 = r e = cos e

r e e e

=0 =0 = sin r cos e e

and thus, they are also functions of time if the coordinates are functions of time: d e er = + sin e dt d e e = r + cos e dt d e = (sin r + cos ) e e dt