Coordinate systems

Student's Name: Abdullah Farhan AlAnazi

Bachelor Degree

Course Name: Physics 361

Supervised by: Dr. Saleh Al-Gamdi
10/11/2022
Table of Contents

Introduction.....................................................................2

Cartesian coordinates:....................................................2

Spherical coordinates......................................................4

Polar coordinates:............................................................5

Conclusion........................................................................6

References:.......................................................................7

1
 Introduction
The coordinate system is a crucial subject that all students should study. Not only
is it crucial for understanding maps and graphs, but it also plays a crucial role in
spatial development and aids in world organization. The coordinate systems
additionally make it simple and accurate to convey an object's location. For
instance, by glancing at the code placed on the books, we may quickly locate a
certain book at the library. Its coordinate system is that code. We cannot deny that
we are a part of a coordinate system. In order to accurately characterize physical
systems, coordinates systems are essential. A wise decision of coordinate system
may frequently substantially simplify or make complex issues more
understandable. The simplicity with which computations are performed and
physical understanding is achieved can also be greatly influenced by the way
variables are described in these systems. The Cartesian as well as the spherical
coordinate systems, which are both often used to describe places in three-
dimensional space, are described first. These two, together with their two-
dimensional counterpart, polar coordinate systems, turn out to be among the most
crucial coordinate systems in MRI. There are three main systems related to the
topic of the coordinate systems which will be discussed in this paper.

Cartesian coordinates:
Everyday existence requires us to regularly specify the location of various objects.
By "where," we frequently mean "where in space." Take the baseball's position on
the baseball field, for instance. The best way to do this is to define three
perpendicular axes around the first base line (x), third base line (y), as well as the
vertical via home plate (z), with the positions being represented by the three

2
parameters, or three spatial coordinates, x, y, and z. The coordinate system is stated
to be built around these three axes. The origin is defined as the point 0 and 0 and is
where all other positions are measured in relation to. Home plate is the spot where
the three axes connect. The Cartesian coordinate system is a specific coordinate
system that is characterized by three perpendicular axes that cross at the origin.
The fact that the axes x, y, and z are perpendicular to each other exactly equivalent
a key characteristic of Cartesian coordinate system. This has the significant
consequence that, even if we move toward one of the axes, the other axes still
accurately describe our location. The values of the other two coordinates do not
change. A coordinate system with this property is called an orthogonal coordinate
system. The utility of such a coordinate system is that the location {x b , yb , zb }
of the baseball in 3D space can be described by the independent locations along
each of these axes. This is shown in Figures below:

3
Spherical coordinates
The spherical coordinate system, that is well-known since we occupy a roughly
spherical object, is another significant coordinate system. The three parameters,
radius, polar angle, and angle, respectively, characterize this coordinate
system. The spherical coordinate system is thus built on these characteristics. Both
the lines of constant longitude and the lines of constant latitude are just the well-
known lines of those coordinates. The following figures illustrate this:

spherical set of coordinates. The components of the spherical system include Polar
tilt Azimuth angle is the angle in the x-y plane from the x-axis, while defines the
angle of a vector from of the z-axis. The radius (r) is the length of the vector
divided by the distance of the vector point from the origin (0, 0, 0).

An orthogonal coordinate system is the spherical coordinate system. If the Earth is

a perfect spherical, then our movement on its surface is at a fixed radius (from the
center of the Earth). Moving across a line with constant longitude is possible
without affecting the latitude, and the opposite is also true. The longitude and

4
latitude lines on the globe denote the angle apart from the reference line and the
angle upward from the equator, respectively. We can also climb well above surface
of the planet in a radial direction within a particular place on the surface
determined by a specific set of angles. Both the prime meridian and the equator
split the Earth as two hemispheres (eastern and western) at the origin of the
longitude lines, with the equator dividing it into two cerebral hemispheres
(northern and southern) well about origin of the latitude lines. Therefore, the
azimuth angle's origin is defined by the prime meridian, while the elevation angle's
origin is the equator.

Polar coordinates:
The rectangular coordinate system is the two-dimensional (planar) equivalent of
the Cartesian coordinate system, while the polar coordinate system is the two-
dimensional equivalent of the spherical coordinate system. If we simply stay at the
equator ( = 90), one might consider it to be the dimensions in the spherical
system. The illustration is a common graphic depiction of polar coordinate system
with the origin chosen in the +x direction, with the angles represented (arbitrary) at
30° increments.

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The rectangular coordinates in terms of the polar coordinates is:

And the polar coordinates in terms of the rectangular coordinates is:

When discussing complex numbers, the polar coordinate system is crucial because
it makes it easy to depict issues when magnitude and phase are crucial. Generally
speaking, polar coordinate systems are helpful when a problem has a structure and
a center from which a radius in two dimensions may be determined.

Conclusion
We learned that coordinate systems are used everywhere from the points
mentioned above. The chairs we use in class, the homes down the avenue, and the
library's collection of books. It is crucial to realize that different coordinate systems
might just be different ways of describing the same parameter space. One is
preferred over another because it makes the explanation simpler, more logical, or
more cost-effective. This essay began with outlining the significance of coordinate
systems for students in everyday life. It then goes on to discuss the three primary
coordinate systems: cartesian and spherical for 3-dimensional space and polar for
2-dimensional space.

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References:

Allie S and Buffler A 1998 A course in tools and procedures for physics I Am. J.
Phys.

https://aapt.scitation.org/doi/10.1119/1.18915

Vega M, Christensen W, Farlow B, Passante G and Loverude M 2017 Student

understanding of unit vectors and coordinate systems beyond cartesian coordinates
in upper division physics courses DIMENSIONS: The Journal of Undergraduate
Research in Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

https://www.fullerton.edu/nsm/_resources/pdfs/dimensions/
Dimensions2017_web.pdf

Fredlund T, Linder C and Airey J 2015 Towards addressing transient learning

challenges in undergraduate physics: an example from electrostatics Eur. J. Phys.
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0143-0807/36/5/055002