Definition:Polar Coordinates/Angular Coordinate
< Definition:Polar Coordinates(Redirected from Definition:Argument (Polar Coordinates))
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Definition
Let $P$ be a point in a system of polar coordinates where $O$ is the pole.
The angle measured anticlockwise from the polar axis to $OP$ is called the angular coordinate of $P$, and usually labelled $\theta$.
If the angle is measured clockwise from the polar axis to $OP$, its value is considered negative.
Also known as
The angular coordinate in a system of polar coordinates is also known as the polar angle, or azimuth.
Other words that can be seen to mean the same thing are:
Beware the term azimuth, as it is used in astronomy in a similar but significantly different way, to mean the angle measured from the principal vertical circle.
Also see
Sources
- 1933: D.M.Y. Sommerville: Analytical Conics (3rd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $\text I$. Coordinates: $2$. Coordinates
- 1968: Murray R. Spiegel: Mathematical Handbook of Formulas and Tables ... (previous) ... (next): $\S 5$: Trigonometric Functions
- 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): azimuth: 1. (amplitude; anomaly; argument)
- 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): polar coordinate system
- 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): azimuth: 1. (amplitude; anomaly; argument)
- 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): polar coordinate system
- 2014: Christopher Clapham and James Nicholson: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics (5th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): anticlockwise
- 2021: Richard Earl and James Nicholson: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics (6th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): anticlockwise