Understanding Spherical Coordinates

In summary, the first equation represents the surface of a sphere with radius a, while the second equation represents the equation of a solid sphere with radius ρ. The coordinate ρ represents a point ρ units away from the origin.
  • #1
Miike012
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questioning what ρ does. What is the difference between the two equations?

Let k be the angle from the positive z-axis and w be the angle from the pos x-axis

parametric equation of a sphere with radius a
paramet eq. 1:
x = asin(k)cos(w)
y = asin(k)sin(w)
z= acos(k)

0≤w≤2pi
0≤k≤pi
a is constant

paramet equ 2:
x = ρsin(k)cos(w)
y = ρsin(k)sin(w)
z= ρcos(k)
0≤w≤2pi
0≤k≤pi
0≤ρ≤a

Is the first equation the surface of the sphere and the second would be the equation of a solid sphere?

second question: Look in paint document:
I originally thought that ρ = constant (which is the distance from the origin to the point) was the entire line segment from the origin to the point. But if my understanding is correct the coordinate ρ actually represents some point ρ units aways from the origin. Is this correct?
 

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  • #2
Miike012 said:
questioning what ρ does. What is the difference between the two equations?

Let k be the angle from the positive z-axis and w be the angle from the pos x-axis

parametric equation of a sphere with radius a
paramet eq. 1:
x = asin(k)cos(w)
y = asin(k)sin(w)
z= acos(k)

0≤w≤2pi
0≤k≤pi
a is constant

paramet equ 2:
x = ρsin(k)cos(w)
y = ρsin(k)sin(w)
z= ρcos(k)
0≤w≤2pi
0≤k≤pi
0≤ρ≤a

Is the first equation the surface of the sphere and the second would be the equation of a solid sphere?

Yes.

second question: Look in paint document:
I originally thought that ρ = constant (which is the distance from the origin to the point) was the entire line segment from the origin to the point. But if my understanding is correct the coordinate ρ actually represents some point ρ units aways from the origin. Is this correct?

Yes.
 

1. What are spherical coordinates?

Spherical coordinates are a system of representing points in three-dimensional space using coordinates that specify a distance from a fixed point (the origin), an angle from a fixed direction, and an angle from a fixed plane.

2. What is the purpose of using spherical coordinates?

Spherical coordinates are often used in mathematics and physics to describe the position of objects in three-dimensional space, particularly when dealing with spherical objects or when working with spherical symmetry.

3. How do you convert between spherical and Cartesian coordinates?

To convert from spherical coordinates to Cartesian coordinates, you can use the following formulas:
x = r * sin(θ) * cos(φ)
y = r * sin(θ) * sin(φ)
z = r * cos(θ)

To convert from Cartesian coordinates to spherical coordinates, you can use the following formulas:
r = √(x^2 + y^2 + z^2)
θ = arctan(y/x)
φ = arccos(z/r)

4. What are some real-world applications of spherical coordinates?

Spherical coordinates have many practical applications, including navigation, astronomy, and engineering. For example, GPS uses spherical coordinates to determine the location of objects on Earth's surface, and astronomers use spherical coordinates to map the positions of stars in the night sky.

5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using spherical coordinates?

The main advantage of spherical coordinates is their ability to accurately describe points on a sphere or objects with spherical symmetry. They also make certain mathematical calculations and equations simpler. However, they can be more complex and less intuitive to work with compared to Cartesian coordinates, and not all problems can be easily solved using spherical coordinates.

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