- #1
VinnyCee
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Converting from Cartesian to Cylindrical coords - but division by zero!
Let's say I want to convert the point P(0, -4, 3) to cylindrical.
To convert from Cartesian to Cylindrical coordinates, one must use the formulas listed below.
[tex]\rho\,=\,\sqrt{x^2\,+\,y^2}[/tex]
[tex]\phi\,=\,tan^{-1}\left(\frac{y}{x}\right)[/tex]
[tex]z\,=\,z[/tex]
What do I do about the division by zero produced by using the second equation for [itex]\phi[/itex]?
[tex]\phi\,=\,tan^{-1}\left[\frac{(-4)}{(0)}\right][/tex]
Homework Statement
Let's say I want to convert the point P(0, -4, 3) to cylindrical.
To convert from Cartesian to Cylindrical coordinates, one must use the formulas listed below.
Homework Equations
[tex]\rho\,=\,\sqrt{x^2\,+\,y^2}[/tex]
[tex]\phi\,=\,tan^{-1}\left(\frac{y}{x}\right)[/tex]
[tex]z\,=\,z[/tex]
The Attempt at a Solution
What do I do about the division by zero produced by using the second equation for [itex]\phi[/itex]?
[tex]\phi\,=\,tan^{-1}\left[\frac{(-4)}{(0)}\right][/tex]