MIRPUR UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (MUST), MIRPUR
MIRPUR INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Electromagnetic Field
ET-422
Lecture [2] : Cartesian & Cylindrical Coordinates
[Link] Kausar
(Lecturer)
June, 2020
Coordinate Systems
Coordinate Systems
In order to describe the spatial variations of the physical quantities, we
must be able to define all points uniquely in space in a suitable manner.
This requires using an appropriate coordinate system.
A considerable amount of work and time may be saved by choosing a
coordinate system that best fits a given problem.
A hard problem in one coordinate system may turn out to be easy in
another system.
We shall restrict ourselves to the three best-known coordinate systems:
the Cartesian, the cylindrical, and the spherical.
Electromagnetic Field Theory 3
Coordinate Systems
Coordinate Systems
Bear in mind that the concepts demonstrated in Cartesian coordinates
are equally applicable to other systems of coordinates
For example, the procedure for finding dot or cross product of two
vectors in a cylindrical system is the same as that used in the Cartesian
system
Sometimes, it is necessary to transform points and vectors from one
coordinate system to another
The techniques for doing this will be presented and illustrated with
examples
Electromagnetic Field Theory 4
Coordinate Systems
Cartesian Coordinates (X,Y,Z)
A vector A in Cartesian (also known as rectangular) coordinates can be
written as:
where ax, ay , and az are unit vectors along the x-, y-, and z-directions
Electromagnetic Field Theory 5
Cylindrical Coordinates (ρ,Φ,z)
Cylindrical Coordinates (ρ,Φ,z)
The cylindrical coordinate system is very convenient whenever we are
dealing with problems having cylindrical symmetry
A point P in cylindrical coordinates is
represented as (ρ, Φ, z) as shown in
the figure:
ρ is the radius of the cylinder passing
through P or the radial distance from
the z-axis
Φ is measured from the x-axis in the
xy-plane
z is the same as in the Cartesian
system
Electromagnetic Field Theory 6
Cylindrical Coordinates (ρ,Φ,z)
Cylindrical Coordinates (ρ,Φ,z)
The ranges of the variables are:
A vector A in cylindrical coordinates can be written as:
where aρ , aΦ , and az are unit vectors in the ρ, Φ and z directions
For example, if a force of 10 N acts on a particle in a circular motion, the
force may be represented as F = 10a Φ N
The magnitude of A is:
Electromagnetic Field Theory 7
Cylindrical Coordinates (ρ,Φ,z)
Cylindrical Coordinates (ρ,Φ,z)
Notice that the unit vectors aρ , aΦ , and az are mutually perpendicular
because our coordinate systems are orthogonal
aρ points in the direction of increasing ρ, aΦ in the direction of increasing
Φ, and az in the positive z-direction, so we have:
Electromagnetic Field Theory 8
Point Transformations
The relationships between the variables (x, y, z) of the Cartesian
coordinate system and those of the cylindrical system ( ρ, Φ, z) are easily
obtained from figure shown:
Electromagnetic Field Theory 9
Point Transformations
Point Transformations
For transforming a point from Cartesian (x, y, z) to Cylindrical (ρ, Φ, z)
coordinates:
For transforming a point from Cylindrical (ρ, Φ, z) to Cartesian (x, y, z)
coordinates:
Electromagnetic Field Theory 10
Unit Vector Transformations
Vector Transformations
The transformations may be written in matrix form as:
AND
Electromagnetic Field Theory 11
Matlab Section
MATLAB Section
Example
(a) A bar graph that contains five numbers x = 2, 4, 6, 8, 10.
(b) Plot the numbers y = 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 vs. x.
(c) Plot two cycles of a sine wave using the ‘fplot’ command. Introduce the
symbol θ with the command ‘\theta’ in the ‘xlabel’ or in a text statement.
(d) Plot an exponential function in the range 0 < x < 3. Calculate this
function with the interval Δx = 0.01. Text items such as the ‘ylabel’ or a
statement can include superscripts and subscripts. The superscript is
introduced with the command ‘^’ and the subscript is introduced with the
command ‘_’.
Electromagnetic Field Theory 12
Unit Vector Transformations
MATLAB Section
Commands Needed
1) clear = clear all variables and functions from memory.
2) clf = clear current figures
3) cla = clear current axis
4) hold = hold current graph
5) subplot = subplot(m,n,p), or subplot(mnp), breaks the Figure window into an
m-by-n matrix of small axes, selects the p-th axes for the current plot
6) xlabel & ylable = for labelling axis
7) fplot(FUN,LIMS) = plots the function FUN between the x-axis limits specified
by LIMS = [XMIN XMAX].
8) bar(Y) uses the default value of X=1:M
Electromagnetic Field Theory 13
Unit Vector Transformations
MATLAB Section
Electromagnetic Field Theory 14
THANKS
