Co - Ordinate Systems

Engr. Mansoor A. Soomro

Assistant Professor,
Department of Electrical Engineering,
MUET, Jamshoro.
 Introduction
• In order to describe a vector accurately, some
specific lengths, directions, angles, or
components must be given.
Methods:
1) Cartesian or rectangular co ordinate system
2) Circular cylindrical co ordinate system
3) Spherical co ordinate system
 1- Cartesian Co Ordinate System
• In this system we set up 3 coordinate axes
mutually at right angles to each other and we
call them x, y, z axes.
• If the right hand is used, then the thumb,
forefinger, and middle finger may be
identified, respectively as the x, y, and z axes.
Fig: Cartesian Coordinate system
example
• If we visualize three planes intersecting at the general
point P, whose coordinates are x, y, z.
• we may increase each coordinate value by a
differential amount and obtain three slightly displaced
planes intersecting at point P’.
• Whose coordinates are x+dx, y+dy and z+dz.
 Vector Components And Unit Vector
• To describe a vector in the cartesian coordinate
system, consider a vector r extending outward from
the origin.
• A logical way to identify this vector is giving the
three component vectors, lying along the three
coordinate axes.
• r=x+y+z
Instead of one vector, we now have three, the three
vectors are of very simple nature, each is always
directed along one of the coordinate axis.
• In other words, the component vectors have
magnitudes which depend on the given vector (such
as r), but they each have a known and constant
direction.
• This suggests the use of unit vectors having unit
magnitude, and directed along the coordinate axes.
• We shall reserve the symbol a for a unit vector and
identify the direction of the unit vector by an
appropriate subscript, Thus ax, ay, and az, are the unit
vectors in the rectangular coordinate system. They are
directed along the x, y, and z axes, respectively.
2- Cylindrical Co-ordinate
System
A cylindrical coordinate system is a three-dimensional
coordinate system that specifies the position of a point P by
the combination of its distance to the z-axis (radius ρ), the
angle φ between the x-axis and the line OQ, and the
elevation along the z-axis. The value of the angle is
measured in radians (0..2π) or degrees (0..360°).
The origin of the system is the point where all three
coordinates can be given as zero.

To specify a particular point in a cylindrical coordinate

system, you indicate the coordinate values in the form [ρ, φ,
z].

The distance from the axis may be called the radial distance
or radius, while the angular coordinate is sometimes
referred to as the angular position or azimuth.

The radius and the azimuth are together called the polar
coordinates, as they correspond to a two-dimensional polar
coordinate system. The third coordinate is called the height,
altitude or logitudinal axis.
The variables of the rectangular and cylindrical
coordinate systems are easily related to each other with
reference to each other.
From the other viewpoint, we may express the cylindrical
variables in terms of x; y, and z.
• we may now define three unit vectors in cylindrical
coordinates
Cylindrical coordinates are useful in connection with
objects and phenomena that have some rotational
symmetry about the longitudinal axis, such as water flow
in a straight pipe with round cross-section, heat
distribution in a metal cylinder, electromagnetic fields
produced by an electric current in a long, straight wire,
and so on.

It is sometimes called "cylindrical polar coordinate" and

"polar cylindrical coordinate", and is sometimes used to
specify the position of stars in a galaxy.
3- Spherical Co-ordinate System
A Spherical coordinate system is a three-dimensional
coordinate system that specifies the position of a point P by
the combination of its distance to the origin (radius r), the
angle φ between the x-axis and the line OQ, and the angle θ
between the radius and the z-axis. The values of the angles
are measured in radians (0..2π) or degrees (0..360°).
To specify a particular point in a spherical coordinate
system, you indicate the coordinate values in the form [r,
θ, φ].

The distance from the origin to any point is r.

The second coordinate is an angle (polar angle) between

the z axis and the line drawn from the origin to the point in
question.

The third coordinate is also an angle and is exactly the

same as the angle of cylindrical coordinates. It is the
angle between the x axis and the projection in the z = 0
plane of the line drawn from the origin to the point.
Note that the angle φ corresponds to the longitude in
geography, and the angle θ corresponds to the colatitude
(= 90° - latitude).

Further, one should be aware that the convention for

naming the two angles is sometimes reversed in the
literature, which may cause unnecessary confusion.
The three unit vectors of spherical coordinates
The transformation from the cartesian to the spherical
coordinate is made by using:
The transformation in the reverse direction is achieved
with the help of