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POLAR COORDINATE SYSTEM
POLAR COORDINATE SYSTEM
Similar to the rectangular coordinate system, the polar coordinate system is based on a fixed point called the origin, O. This is also called the pole. The horizontal axis, known as the polar axis, is a ray that starts at the pole and points to the right.
Each point P in the plane is identified by polar coordinates, which may be written as (r, θ), where r is the directed distance from O to P and θ is the directed angle, counterclockwise from the polar axis.
CONVERTING COORDINATES
CONVERTING COORDINATES
The polar coordinate system is a new way to plot coordinates. Use the Pythagorean Theorem, and right triangle trigonometric ratios to convert between rectangular and polar coordinates.
Graphs can be represented in polar equations, where θ is usually the independent variable and r is the dependent variable. Notice that this means the order is reversed in the coordinate pair, as compared to a rectangular coordinate pair, where x is the independent variable and y is the dependent variable.
You can convert equations from polar to rectangular using the same relationships you used for converting coordinates.
How to graph polar coordinates/ equations:
How to graph polar coordinates/ equations:
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