| a system of coordinates for locating a point in a plane by the length of its radius vector and the angle this vector makes with the polar axis (polar angle). |
polar coordinates
system of locating points in a plane with reference to a fixed point (origin) and an axis through that point. The coordinates are written (r,theta), in which r is the distance from the origin to any desired point and theta is the angle made by the vector r and the axis. A simple relationship exists between Cartesian coordinates given in terms of two reference axes (x,y) and the polar coordinates (r,theta), namely: x = r cos theta, and y = r sin theta
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