Table of contents
- 0. Review of College Algebra4h 43m
- 1. Measuring Angles39m
- 2. Trigonometric Functions on Right Triangles2h 5m
- 3. Unit Circle1h 19m
- 4. Graphing Trigonometric Functions1h 19m
- 5. Inverse Trigonometric Functions and Basic Trigonometric Equations1h 41m
- 6. Trigonometric Identities and More Equations2h 34m
- 7. Non-Right Triangles1h 38m
- 8. Vectors2h 25m
- 9. Polar Equations2h 5m
- 10. Parametric Equations1h 6m
- 11. Graphing Complex Numbers1h 7m
9. Polar Equations
Polar Coordinate System
7:11 minutes
Problem 43a
Textbook Question
Textbook QuestionIn Exercises 41–48, the rectangular coordinates of a point are given. Find polar coordinates of each point. Express θ in radians. _ (2,−2√3)
Verified Solution
This video solution was recommended by our tutors as helpful for the problem above
Video duration:
7mPlay a video:
Was this helpful?
Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Rectangular Coordinates
Rectangular coordinates, also known as Cartesian coordinates, represent a point in a two-dimensional space using an ordered pair (x, y). The x-coordinate indicates the horizontal position, while the y-coordinate indicates the vertical position. Understanding how to interpret these coordinates is essential for converting them into polar coordinates.
Recommended video:
06:17
Convert Points from Polar to Rectangular
Polar Coordinates
Polar coordinates describe a point in a plane using a distance from a reference point (the origin) and an angle from a reference direction (usually the positive x-axis). The polar coordinates are expressed as (r, θ), where r is the radial distance and θ is the angle in radians. Converting from rectangular to polar coordinates involves calculating r and θ using trigonometric relationships.
Recommended video:
05:32
Intro to Polar Coordinates
Trigonometric Functions
Trigonometric functions, such as sine, cosine, and tangent, relate the angles and sides of triangles. In the context of polar coordinates, these functions are used to determine the angle θ based on the coordinates (x, y). Specifically, θ can be found using the arctangent function, θ = arctan(y/x), which is crucial for accurately expressing the angle in radians.
Recommended video:
6:04
Introduction to Trigonometric Functions
Watch next
Master Intro to Polar Coordinates with a bite sized video explanation from Callie Rethman
Start learningRelated Videos
Related Practice