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You Are All Familiar With The Following Way of Identifying A Point P

This document describes rectangular and polar coordinate systems and how to convert between the two. Rectangular coordinates use x and y axes to locate a point, while polar coordinates use distance (r) and angle (θ) from a fixed point. It also discusses easting and northing coordinates used in surveying. The key steps provided to convert between rectangular and polar coordinates are: 1) calculate the difference in eastings and northings between two points, and 2) input these differences into a calculator to obtain the distance and bearing between the points.

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Radhakrishnan Thozhuvathron
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87 views7 pages

You Are All Familiar With The Following Way of Identifying A Point P

This document describes rectangular and polar coordinate systems and how to convert between the two. Rectangular coordinates use x and y axes to locate a point, while polar coordinates use distance (r) and angle (θ) from a fixed point. It also discusses easting and northing coordinates used in surveying. The key steps provided to convert between rectangular and polar coordinates are: 1) calculate the difference in eastings and northings between two points, and 2) input these differences into a calculator to obtain the distance and bearing between the points.

Uploaded by

Radhakrishnan Thozhuvathron
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Coordinates.

You are all familiar with the following way of identifying a point P

+ P(x,y)

This is known as a RECTANGULAR Coordinate System.


Another way of identifying the same point P is
y

+P (r ,  )


x

This is known as a POLAR Coordinate System.


FOR SURVEYING we use a slightly different form of notation ...
instead of x,y we use E,N (Easting, Northing)

+P ( E ,N)


D

E
N.B. Easting is always quoted first and then Northing.
 is always measured in a CLOCKWISE direction from North.
 is known as the WHOLE CIRCLE BEARING. (WCB)
We MUST be able to Convert from VERY QUICKLY.
Rectangular to Polar (and from Polar to Rectangular)
Any line has two bearings
N

N
Q
 PQ  QP

We consider that the line PQ is a different line to line QP


Rectangular to Polar (R P)

Given the co-ordinates of two points, calculate the distance between them and the
bearing of the line joining them. Q N
Point Easting (mE) Northing (mN)
P 1341.50 937.77
Q 850.04 1127.37
 PQ P
For line PQ

The order of the points is very important:

We begin at P and move to Q

P is the NEAR POINT, with co-ordinates NearE, NearN


And Q is the FAR POINT, with co-ordinates FarE, FarN
Point Easting (mE) Northing (mN)
P 1341.50 937.77
Q 850.04 1127.37

Your calculator requires two pieces of information in order to


calculate the polar co-ordinates :-
1. Difference in Northings: FarN - NearN
2. Difference in Eastings: FarE - NearE

Your calculator gives two answers :-


1. Distance P to Q (in metres)
2. Bearing P to Q (if this is negative, add 360o)
(Depending on your calculator, you may have to
convert the bearing to degrees, minutes and
seconds)

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