Spherical Coordinates

Cylindrical coordinates are related to rectangular coordinates as follows.

p
r= x2 + y 2 + z 2 x = r sin φ cos θ
z
cos φ = p y = r sin φ sin θ
x2 + y 2 + z 2
y
tan θ = z = r cos φ
x

The spherical coordinate vectors are defined as

1
er := ∇r
|∇r|
1
eφ := ∇φ
|∇φ|
1
eθ := ∇θ
|∇θ|

Thus,

x y z
er = p i+ p j+ p k
x2 + y 2 + z 2 x2 + y 2 + z 2 x2 + y 2 + z 2
p
xz yz x2 + y 2
eφ = p p i+ p p j− p k
x2 + y 2 x2 + y 2 + z 2 x2 + y 2 x2 + y 2 + z 2 x2 + y 2 + z 2
y x
eθ = − p i+ p j
x2 + y 2 x2 + y 2

In terms of r, φ, and θ, this becomes

er = sin φ cos θ i + sin φ sin θ j + cos φ k

eφ = cos φ cos θ i + cos φ sin θ j − sin φ k
eθ = − sin θ i + cos θ j

The inverse relationship is as follows.

i = sin φ cos θ er + cos φ cos θ eφ − sin θ eθ

j = sin φ sin θ er + cos φ sin θ eφ + cos θ eθ
k = cos φ er − sin φ eφ

1
It is worth noting that the above computations also imply the following.

∂r ∂φ cos φ cos θ ∂θ sin θ

= sin φ cos θ = =−
∂x ∂x r ∂x r sin φ
∂r ∂φ cos φ sin θ ∂θ cos θ
= sin φ sin θ = =
∂y ∂y r ∂y r sin φ
∂r ∂φ sin φ
= cos φ =−
∂z ∂z r

The position vector R = xi + yj + zk is written

R = r er . (spherical coordinates)
If R = R(t) is a parameterized curve, then dR
dt
= dr e + r de
dt r dt
r
. Since er = sin φ cos θ i + sin φ sin θ j + cos φ k,
dφ
der
we have dt = dt (cos φ cos θ i + cos φ sin θ j − sin φ k) + sin φ dθ
dt
(− sin θ i + cos θ j) = dφ e + sin φ dθ
dt φ
e.
dt θ
Thus,
dR dr dφ dθ
= er + r eφ + r sin φ eθ .
dt dt dt dt
Hence, dR = dr er +r dφ eφ +r sin φ dθ eθ and it follows that the element of volume in spherical coordinates
is given by

dV = r2 sin φ dr dφ dθ
If f = f (x, y, z) is a scalar field (that is, a real-valued function of three variables), then

∂f ∂f ∂f
∇f = i+ j+ k.
∂x ∂y ∂z
If we view x, y, and z as functions of r, φ, and θ and apply the chain rule, we obtain
     
∂f ∂r ∂f ∂φ ∂f ∂θ ∂f ∂r ∂f ∂φ ∂f ∂θ ∂f ∂r ∂f ∂φ
∇f = + + i+ + + j+ + k
∂r ∂x ∂φ ∂x ∂θ ∂x ∂r ∂y ∂φ ∂y ∂θ ∂y ∂r ∂z ∂φ ∂z

Writing this in terms of r, φ, θ, and the spherical coordinate vectors yields

 
∂f cos φ cos θ ∂f sin θ ∂f
∇f = sin φ cos θ + − (sin φ cos θ er + cos φ cos θ eφ − sin θ eθ )
∂r r ∂φ r sin φ ∂θ
 
∂f cos φ sin θ ∂f cos θ ∂f
+ sin φ sin θ + + (sin φ sin θ er + cos φ sin θ eφ + cos θ eθ )
∂r r ∂φ r sin φ ∂θ
 
∂f sin φ ∂f
+ cos φ − (cos φ er − sin φ eφ )
∂r r ∂φ

Simplifying, we obtain the result

∂f 1 ∂f 1 ∂f
∇f = er + eφ + eθ
∂r r ∂φ r sin φ ∂θ
If F = F(x, y, z) is a vector field (that is, a vector-valued function of three variables), then we can write

2
 F = F1 i + F2 j + F3 k
= (sin φ cos θ F1 + sin φ sin θ F2 + cos φ F3 ) er + (cos φ cos θ F1 + cos φ sin θ F2 − sin φ F3 ) eφ
+ (− sin θ F1 + cos θ F2 ) eθ

Thus, F = Fr er + Fφ eφ + Fθ eθ , where
Fr = sin φ cos θ F1 + sin φ sin θ F2 + cos φ F3 F1 = sin φ cos θ Fr + cos φ cos θ Fφ − sin θ Fθ
Fφ = cos φ cos θ F1 + cos φ sin θ F2 − sin φ F3 F2 = sin φ sin θ Fr + cos φ sin θ Fφ + cos θ Fθ
Fθ = − sin θ F1 + cos θ F2 F3 = cos φ Fr − sin φ Fφ

We compute the following.

∂F1 ∂Fr ∂Fφ ∂Fθ
= sin φ cos θ + cos φ cos θ − sin θ
∂r ∂r ∂r ∂r
∂F2 ∂Fr ∂Fφ ∂Fθ
= sin φ sin θ + cos φ sin θ + cos θ
∂r ∂r ∂r ∂r
∂F3 ∂Fr ∂Fφ
= cos φ − sin φ
∂r ∂r ∂r
∂F1 ∂Fr ∂Fφ ∂Fθ
= cos φ cos θ Fr + sin φ cos θ − sin φ cos θ Fφ + cos φ cos θ − sin θ
∂φ ∂φ ∂φ ∂φ
∂F2 ∂Fr ∂Fφ ∂Fθ
= cos φ sin θ Fr + sin φ sin θ − sin φ sin θ Fφ + cos φ sin θ + cos θ
∂φ ∂φ ∂φ ∂φ
∂F3 ∂Fr ∂Fφ
= − sin φ Fr + cos φ − cos φ cos θ Fφ − sin φ
∂φ ∂φ ∂φ
∂F1 ∂Fr ∂Fφ ∂Fθ
= − sin φ sin θ Fr + sin φ cos θ − cos φ sin θ Fφ + cos φ cos θ − cos θ Fθ − sin θ
∂θ ∂θ ∂θ ∂θ
∂F2 ∂Fr ∂Fφ ∂Fθ
= sin φ cos θ Fr + sin φ sin θ + cos φ cos θ Fφ + cos φ sin θ − sin θ Fθ + cos θ
∂θ ∂θ ∂θ ∂θ
∂F3 ∂Fr ∂Fφ
= cos φ − sin φ
∂θ ∂θ ∂θ

Now we can transform ∇ · F and ∇ × F into spherical coordinates. To transform ∇ · F, we compute as

follows.

∂F1 ∂F2 ∂F3

∇·F= + +
∂x ∂y ∂z
     
∂F1 ∂r ∂F1 ∂φ ∂F1 ∂θ ∂F2 ∂r ∂F2 ∂φ ∂F2 ∂θ ∂F3 ∂r ∂F3 ∂φ
= + + + + + + +
∂r ∂x ∂φ ∂x ∂θ ∂x ∂r ∂y ∂φ ∂y ∂θ ∂y ∂r ∂z ∂φ ∂z
 
∂F1 cos φ cos θ ∂F1 sin θ ∂F1
= sin φ cos θ + −
∂r r ∂φ r sin φ ∂θ
 
∂F2 cos φ sin θ ∂F2 cos θ ∂F2
+ sin φ sin θ + +
∂r r ∂φ r sin φ ∂θ
 
∂F3 sin φ ∂F3
+ cos φ −
∂r r ∂φ

3
After writing the partial derivatives of F1 , F2 , and F3 in terms of Fr , Fφ , Fθ , and their partial derivatives
and simplifying, we obtain
1 ∂ 2
1 ∂ 1 ∂Fθ
∇·F= 2
r Fr + (Fφ sin φ) +
r ∂r r sin φ ∂φ r sin φ ∂θ
∇ × F is handled similarly.

i j k
∂ ∂ ∂
∇×F= ∂x ∂y ∂z
F1 F2 F3
     
∂F3 ∂F2 ∂F1 ∂F3 ∂F2 ∂F1
= − i+ − j+ − k
∂y ∂z ∂z ∂x ∂x ∂y
   
∂F3 ∂r ∂F3 ∂φ ∂F3 ∂θ ∂F2 ∂r ∂F2 ∂φ ∂F2
= + + − + + i
∂r ∂y ∂φ ∂y ∂θ ∂y ∂r ∂z ∂φ ∂z ∂θ
   
∂F1 ∂r ∂F1 ∂φ ∂F3 ∂r ∂F3 ∂φ ∂F3 ∂θ
+ + − + + j
∂r ∂z ∂φ ∂z ∂r ∂x ∂φ ∂x ∂θ ∂x
   
∂F2 ∂r ∂F2 ∂φ ∂F2 ∂θ ∂F1 ∂r ∂F1 ∂φ ∂F1 ∂θ
+ + + − + + k
∂r ∂x ∂φ ∂x ∂θ ∂x ∂r ∂y ∂φ ∂y ∂θ ∂y
   
∂F3 cos φ sin θ ∂F3 cos θ ∂F3 ∂F2 sin φ ∂F2
= sin φ sin θ + + − cos φ − i
∂r r ∂φ r sin φ ∂θ ∂r r ∂φ
   
∂F1 sin φ ∂F1 ∂F3 cos φ cos θ ∂F3 sin θ ∂F3
+ cos φ − − sin φ cos θ + − j
∂r r ∂φ ∂r r ∂φ r sin φ ∂θ
 
∂F2 cos φ cos θ ∂F2 sin θ ∂F2
+ sin φ cos θ + −
∂r r ∂φ r sin φ ∂θ
 
∂F1 cos φ sin θ ∂F1 cos θ ∂F1
− sin φ sin θ + + k
∂r r ∂φ r sin φ ∂θ

After writing the partial derivatives of F1 , F2 , and F3 in terms of Fr , Fφ , Fθ , and their partial derivatives
and writing i, j, and k in terms of er , eφ , and eθ and simplifying, we obtain

er reφ r sin φeθ

1 ∂ ∂ ∂
∇×F= 2 ∂r ∂φ ∂θ
r sin φ
Fr rFφ r sin φFθ