Polar coordinates provide an alternative way to describe points in a plane using a pair of values: the radial distance from the origin and the angle from the positive x-axis. This system is particularly useful in cases where the region of interest is circular or involves radial symmetry.
In polar coordinates, each point in the plane is identified by
- the radius: \(r\), which is the distance from the origin, and
- the angle: \(\theta\), which is measured from the positive x-axis counterclockwise.
The conversion between Cartesian coordinates \((x, y)\) and polar coordinates \((r, \theta)\) involves the equations:
- \(x = r \cos{\theta}\)
- \(y = r \sin{\theta}\)
- \(r = \sqrt{x^2 + y^2}\)
- \(\theta = \tan^{-1}(y/x)\)
Switching to polar coordinates is advantageous in integrating over circular regions, as exemplified in our original exercise. The transformation simplifies the expression \(\sqrt{x^2 + y^2}\) to just \(r\), and the differential area element \(dA\) becomes \(r\,dr\,d\theta\). This makes integration more straightforward over circular areas.