AV-231

ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD THEORY

Lecture No 2

“Cartesian, Cylindrical and Spherical

Coordinates”
Text Book: Chapter 2
Section 2.1—2.5

Instructor: Sqn Ldr Khurram

Class: 86 EC
Number of Slides: 25

Avionics Engineering Department •1

 ASSIGNMENT # 01
1.1, 1.5, 1.12,1.2, 1.6,1.10,1.3,1.7,1.9, 1.4,1.8, 1.11

Red: 01-13 Roll Nos

Green: 14-26

Black: 27-39

Submission Date : 17-5-2017

 CARTESIAN COORDINATES (X, Y, Z)

A point P can be represented as (x, y, z). The ranges of the coordinate

variables x, y, and z are

-∞<X<∞
-∞<y<∞
-∞<z<∞

A vector A in Cartesian (otherwise known as rectangular) coordinates can be

written as

(Ax, Ay, Az) or Axax + Ayay + Azaz

where ax, ay, and az are unit vectors along the x-, y-, and z-directions
 CYLINDRICAL AND SPHERICAL
COORDINATES
• In plane geometry the polar coordinate system is used to give a
convenient description of certain curves and regions.

• Figure 1 enables us to recall the

connection between polar and
Cartesian coordinates. If the point
P has Cartesian coordinates (x, y)
and polar coordinates (r,  ), then,
from the figure,
• x = r cos  y = r sin 
• r 2 = x2 + y2 tan  = Figure 1
 CYLINDRICAL AND SPHERICAL
COORDINATES
• In three dimensions there are two coordinate
systems that are similar to polar coordinates
and give convenient descriptions of some
commonly occurring surfaces and solids.

• They will be especially useful when we

compute volumes and triple integrals.
CYLINDRICAL COORDINATES
 CIRCULAR CYLINDRICAL COORDINATES
(, , z)
A point P in cylindrical coordinates is represented as (,, z);  is the radius of

the cylinder passing through P or the radial distance from the z-axis: is called

the azimuthal angle, is measured from the x-axis

in the xy-plane; and z is the

same as in the Cartesian system.

 CYLINDRICAL COORDINATES

• To convert from rectangular to cylindrical

coordinates, we use the equations

• whereas to convert from cylindrical to

rectangular coordinates, we use
EXAMPLE 1 – CONVERTING BETWEEN CYLINDRICAL
AND RECTANGULAR COORDINATES

• (a) Plot the point with cylindrical coordinates (2, 2/3, 1) and
find its rectangular coordinates.
• (b)Coordinates of the point with rectangular coordinates (3, –
3, –7) Find cylindrical

• Solution:
• (a) The point with cylindrical coordinates
(2, 2/3, 1) is plotted in Figure 3.

Figure 3
 Example 1 – Solution cont’d

• From Equations 1, its rectangular coordinates are

Thus the point is (–1, , 1) in rectangular coordinates.

 Example 1 – Solution cont’d

• (b) From Equations 2 we have

• so

• Therefore one set of cylindrical coordinates is

( , 7/4, –7). Another is ( , –/4, –7). As with polar
coordinates, there are infinitely many choices.
 CYLINDRICAL COORDINATES

• Cylindrical coordinates are useful in problems that involve symmetry

about an axis, and the z-axis is chosen to coincide with this axis of
symmetry.

• For instance, the axis of the circular cylinder with Cartesian

equation x2 + y2 = c2 is the z-axis.

• In cylindrical coordinates this

cylinder has the very simple
equation ρ = c. (See Figure 4.)
This is the reason for the name
“cylindrical” coordinates.
Figure 4
r = c, a cylinder
Cartesian to Cylindrical Transformation in matrix form

Cylindrical to Cartesian Transformation in matrix form

SPHERICAL COORDINATES
 SPHERICAL COORDINATES
• The spherical coordinates (r, , ) of a point P in space are shown in Figure
5, where r = | OP | is the distance from the origin to P,  is the same angle as in
cylindrical coordinates, and  is the angle between the positive z-axis and the
line segment OP.

• Note that

• r 0 0    2 0

• The spherical coordinate system

is especially useful in problems
where there is symmetry about a
point, and the origin is placed at
this point.
 SPHERICAL COORDINATES

• For example, the sphere with center the origin

and radius c has the simple equation r = c (see
Figure 6); this is the reason for the name
“spherical” coordinates.

Figure 6
r = c, a sphere
 SPHERICAL COORDINATES
• The graph of the equation  = c is a vertical half-plane (see
Figure 7), and the equation  = c represents a half-cone with
the z-axis as its axis (see Figure 8).

Figure 7 Figure 8
 = c, a half-plane  = c, a half-cone
 SPHERICAL COORDINATES

The relationship between rectangular and spherical coordinates is

given below.

or
Cartesian to Spherical Transformation in matrix form

Spherical to Cartesian Transformation in matrix form

 Example 4 – Converting from Spherical to
Rectangular Coordinates
• The point (2, /3, /4) is given in spherical coordinates. Plot
the point and find its rectangular coordinates.

• Solution:
• We plot the point in Figure 10.

Figure 10
 EXAMPLE 4 – SOLUTION cont’d

• From Equations 3 we have

• x = r sin  cos 

• y = r sin  sin 

• z = r cos 

• Thus the point (2, /4, /3) is in rectangular

coordinates.
 DISTANCE FORMULA

The distance between two points with position vectors r1 and r2 is

generally given by

d = |r2 – r1|

or d2 = (x2 – x1)2 + (y2 – y1)2 + (z2 – z1)2 (cartesian)

d2 = ρ22 + ρ12 - 2 ρ1 ρ2cos(ϕ2 - ϕ1) + (z2 – z1)2 (cylindrical)

d2 = r22 + r12 - 2 r1 r2cosθ2 cosθ1 - 2 r1 r2sinθ2 sinθ1cos(ϕ2 - ϕ1)

(spherical)
SUMMARY
QUESTIONS ?