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Understanding Coordinate Systems in Physics

Rectangular coordinates represent positions in space using three perpendicular axes (usually x, y, z). Any point P is located by its distances from each axis. Although the axes can rotate together, their relationship is fixed. Cartesian coordinates ensure the axes have the same scale, unambiguously locating a point and allowing distance and rotation calculations. Operations like finding the distance between points, and vector calculus operations like divergence, gradient, and curl can be performed.

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333 views3 pages

Understanding Coordinate Systems in Physics

Rectangular coordinates represent positions in space using three perpendicular axes (usually x, y, z). Any point P is located by its distances from each axis. Although the axes can rotate together, their relationship is fixed. Cartesian coordinates ensure the axes have the same scale, unambiguously locating a point and allowing distance and rotation calculations. Operations like finding the distance between points, and vector calculus operations like divergence, gradient, and curl can be performed.

Uploaded by

Uday Sule
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Coordinate Systems

Rectangular Coordinates

Cylindrical Polar Coordinates

Spherical Polar Coordinates

Index

Applications:
Distance between points

Applications:
Cylindrical capacitor
Electric field of line charge.

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Applications:
Hydrogen Schrodinger Equation
Maxwell speed distribution
Electric potential of sphere

R Nave

Rectangular Coordinates
The most common coordinate system for representing positions in space is one based on three
perpendicular spatial axes generally designated x, y, and z.
Any point P may be represented by three signed
numbers, usually written (x, y, z) where the coordinate is
the perpendicular distance from the plane formed by the
other two axes.
Often positions are specified by a position vector r
which can be expressed in terms of the coordinate
values and associated unit vectors.

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Although the entire coordinate system can be rotated,


the relationship between the axes is fixed in what is
called a right-handed coordinate system.
For the display of some kinds of data,it may be
convenient to have different scales for the different axes,
but for the purpose of mathematical operations with the
coordinates, it is necessary for the axes to have the same
scales. The term "Cartesian coordinates" is used to
describe such systems, and the values of the three
coordinates unambiguously locate a point in space. In
such a coordinate system you can calculate the distance
between two points and perform operations like axis
rotations without altering this value.

Index

The distance between any two points in rectangular


coordinates can be found from the distance relationship.

Operations in Cartesian coordinates.

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Operations in Cartesian Coordinates


Distance between points

Vector calculus operations

Divergence

Gradient

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Index

Curl

LaPlacian

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R Nave

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