3/10/2015

Bicol University College of Engineering

Civil Engineering Department

Polar Coordinate System is a coordinate system

in which the coordinates of a point in a plane are
its distance from a fixed point and its direction
from a fixed line. Points in polar form are given as
(r, θ ) where r is the radius to the point and θ is
the angle of the point.
BY:

ENGR. JEFFERSON M. CIPRIANO, MET

Assistant Professor II

To define the Polar Coordinates of a plane we need first to fix a point PLOTTING:
which will be called the Pole (or the origin) and a half-line starting
from the pole. This half-line is called the Polar Axis. Example: Plot the polar coordinates (8,210°), (6,-120°),(-5,300°) and
Positive values of the angle indicate angles measured in the (-3,540°) 90
counterclockwise direction from the Polar Axis. 120 60
135 45

150 30
(8, 210°)
(6, -120°) 180 0

(-5, 300°)
330
210
(-3, 540°) 315
225
300
240
270

A Polar Curve consists of all the points (r,θ) satisfying a given Symmetry with respect to the vertical line θ = π/2: If the equation
equation is unchanged when θ is replaced with π – θ or θ is replaced by –θ and
F(r,θ) = 0. r is replaced by –r.
Often one can solve r from the equation and represent the polar
curve in the form
r = f(θ)

SYMMETRY:
Symmetry with respect to polar axis: If the equation is unchanged
when θ is replaced by –θ or θ is replaced by π- θ and r is
replaced by –r. (see Fig. 1)
Symmetry with respect to the pole: If the equation is unchanged Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig.3
when r is replaced with –r or θ is replaced with π + θ. (see Fig. 2)

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To use the test for symmetry of graphs, the following

trigonometric identities may be helpful:
(x,y) From the right angle triangle in the picture
one immediately gets the following
r correspondence between the Cartesian
cos (-θ) = cos θ y
Coordinates (x,y) and the Polar Coordinates
θ
sec (-θ) = sec θ (r,θ) assuming the Pole of the Polar
x Coordinates is the Origin of the Cartesian
tan (π + θ) = tan θ Coordinates and the Polar Axis is the positive
cot (π + θ) = cot θ x-axis.

sin(π – θ) = sin θ x = r cos(θ) r2 = x2 + y2

y = r sin(θ) tan(θ) = y/x

Using these equations one can easily switch between the

Cartesian and the Polar Coordinates.

Converting from Rectangular to Polar Converting from Polar to Rectanglar

On your own, find polar form for the point (-2, 3). Convert the polar point (4, 30o) to rectangular coordinates.

(-2, 3) 3 We are given the radius of 4 and angle of 30o.

tan  
r2 = (-2)2 + 32 2 Find the values of x and y.
r2 = 4 + 9 1   3 
  tan   Using trig to find the values of x and y, we know
r2 = 13  2  4 that cos ß = x/r or x = r cos ß. Also, sin ß = y/r or
r = 13   56 .31o y y = r sin ß.
30o
x  r cos  y  r sin 
However, the angle must be in the second x y  4 sin  30o 
quadrant, so we add 180o to the answer  
x  4 cos 30o
 

and get an angle of 123.70o. 3 y  4 1  2

x  4 2 3 2
The polar form is ( 13 , 123.70o) 2
The point in rectangular form is: 2 3, 2 