polar coordinates

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

po′lar coor′dinates, [Math.]

1. Mathematics a system of coordinates for locating a point in a plane by the length of its radius vector and the angle this vector makes with the polar axis (polar angle.)

• 1810–20

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

polar coordinates noun:plural

1. a pair of coordinates for locating a point in a plane by means of the length of a radius vector, r, which pivots about the origin to establish the angle, θ, that the position of the point makes with a fixed line. Usually written (r, θ)
   See also Cartesian coordinates, spherical coordinates