Coordinate Systems

Lecture #2
 COORDINATE SYSTEM
• Rectangular coordinate system:

2D Cartesian system


d l  AB  xˆ dx  yˆ dy
 z Surface area EHGF = d x d y zˆ

Surface area GCBF = d x d z  yˆ

(x + dx, y + dy, z + dz)

HG Surface area HDCG = d y d z  xˆ

y
3D Cartesian system


x d l  AG  xˆ dx  yˆ dy  zˆ dz Vol. element = d  d x d y dz
 z
P2 (x2, y2, z2)

P1 (x1, y1, z1)

Vector P1P2 = x2  x1  xˆ   y2  y1  yˆ  z2  z1  zˆ
0 y

P1P2   x2  x1  2   y2  y1 2  z2  z1  2

x

x2  x1  xˆ   y2  y1  yˆ  z2  z1  zˆ
Unit vector k̂ along vector P1P2 =
x2  x1  2   y2  y1 2  z2  z1  2
• Polar coordinates (s, ) for problems involving circular symmetry

Elemental area ABCD (dS) = sdsd

sd

y ŷ ˆ
s sin  ˆ ŝ
1 1 sin 
cos  1 
x̂
sin 
s cos 

s cos 
x
Coordinates of A: s,   sˆ  xˆ cos   yˆ sin 
Coordinates of B: s,   d  φˆ   xˆ sin   yˆ cos 
Coordinates of C: s  ds,   d 
Coordinates of D: s  ds,   xˆ  sˆ cos   ˆ sin 
sˆ.ˆ  0 ˆ  sˆ sin   ˆ cos 
 • Cylindrical coordinate system (s, , z):
x  s cos  , y  s sin  , z  z;
Coordinate of A: (s,,z)
0  s  , 0    2 ,    z  
(s,) means the same
as in polar coordinates
Consider moving from A by an incremental ds
(keeping  and z constant), it will lead to D

Consider moving by an incremental dz

(keeping  and s constant), it will make A
move to E

Likewise for and incremental d , it will make

A to move to B along AB

sˆ  xˆ cos   yˆ sin 
φˆ   xˆ sin   yˆ cos  xˆ  sˆ cos   ˆ sin 
zˆ  zˆ
yˆ  sˆ sin   ˆ cos 
 Consider an infinitesimal volume:

A: (s, , z)
iii)
ii)
G: (s + ds,  + d, z + dz)

Differential vector AG :
i) 
dl  dls ŝ  dl φ̂  dl z ẑ
ds sd dz

 d  s ds dzd 
x
Integration over a volume element
i) Surface area HDCG = sd dz sˆ a 2 L

 d  sds  d  dz
ii) Surface area FBCG = d sdz ˆ 0 0 0

  a2L
iii) Surface area EHGF = s ds d zˆ
• Spherical coordinate system (r, , ): Coordinate of A: r, , 
z
r sin  d ˆ
AA r̂
 r ˆ
 y
r d x
x  r sin  cos 
y  r sin  sin 
z  r cos 
r : magnitude of r r x y z2 2 2

 : polar angle i.e. angle from the z axis 

 : azimuthal angle i.e. angle from the x axis A  Ar r̂  A θˆ  Aˆ
 On the surface of the sphere, radius r remains const.
If we increase  by d (keeping  const.) as we move
on the surface of the sphere to reach D from A:

r r d
O
 AD = rd
Likewise from A an increase in  by d (keeping r, const.)
will take us to B
B
A
 AB = r sin  d r

O r sin
 Area ABCD = rd . r sin  d  r̂  r sin  d d r̂
2

d
Solid angle subtended by area ABCD at O
From ABCD if we move an incremental distance dr along r̂ so that ABCD moves to EFGH:
dr
zz r̂ F
E r
dr
rsin d ˆ
A B H G
rd C
D
θ̂ y A
B
r

O r sin
x
dlr , dl , dl  In general, an infinitesimal displacement

d l  dr  r̂  rd θ̂  r sin  d ˆ
dr r d r sin  d


Analogy? d l  d x  x̂  d y  ŷ  d z  ẑ
Infinitesimal volume element : dr.rd 
. r sin  d 
d  r 2 dr sin  d d

 OA = R

 Volume of a sphere of radius R:

V   d   dr rd r sin  d

4
 r dr sin  d d
2
=?
3
 R3
 r sin  d
B Differential surface areas :
A
r Surface area EHGF = r d r sin  d rˆ
 Surface area HGCD = dr r sin  dˆ
O r sin
zz r̂ F
E Surface area FBCG = dr rd ˆ
dr
rsin d ˆH
A B  G x  r sin  cos 
rd C
D y  r sin  sin 
θ̂
Also y z  r cos 

rˆ, ˆ, ˆ ? An orthogonal basis set like xˆ , yˆ , zˆ r  x xˆ  y yˆ  z zˆ
x  r
rˆ  sin  cos  xˆ  sin  sin  yˆ  cos  zˆ  r
dr  dr r
r  r̂  
Show ˆ  cos  cos  xˆ  cos  sin  yˆ  sin  zˆ r
Short vector along
ˆ   sin  xˆ  cos  yˆ the increasing r r
  
r r

r x  r sin  cos 
r 
r̂   ˆ ˆ  y  r sin  sin 
r    
r r
r z  r cos 
 

r
 sin  cos  xˆ  sin  sin  yˆ  cos  zˆ
r
2
r sin  cos  sin  sin  cos 
 sin  cos   sin  sin   cos   1  rˆ 
2 2 2 2 2
xˆ  yˆ  zˆ
r 1 1 1

r
 r cos  cos  xˆ  r cos  sin  yˆ  r sin  zˆ
 ˆ r cos  cos  r cos  sin  r sin 
  xˆ  yˆ  zˆ
2 r r r
r
 r cos  cos    r cos  sin    r sin    r 2
2 2 2


 
r
 r sin  sin  xˆ  r sin  cos  yˆ

2
r
 r sin  sin    r sin  cos    r sin  sin  r sin  cos 
2 2
ˆ
  xˆ  yˆ
 r sin  r sin 
r   sin  xˆ  cos  yˆ
 r sin  
2 2
 r sin 


rˆ  sin  cos  xˆ  sin  sin  yˆ  cos  zˆ

ˆ  cos  cos  xˆ  cos  sin  yˆ  sin  zˆ Corresponding inverse formula will be:

ˆ   sin  xˆ  cos  yˆ xˆ  sin  cos  rˆ  cos  cos  ˆ  sin  ˆ

yˆ  sin  sin  rˆ  cos  sin  ˆ  cos  ˆ
zˆ  cos  rˆ  sin  ˆ
 Gradient
For a function f (x), what does df / dx imply? d f 
d f   d x
 dx 
f f
For a small change in x, how fast does f change ?
Consider a scalar function T (x, y, z)
x x
T T T
dT  dx dy dz
x y z

dl  xˆ d x  yˆ d y  zˆ d z
 T T T  ˆ
 xˆ  yˆ  zˆ  .  x d x  yˆ d y  zˆ d z   d T Geometric interpretation of Gradient:
 x y z 
For a given (dl) mag , dT is max when 
     = 0   T lies along which dT is max
T  grad T   xˆ  yˆ  zˆ 
 x y z 