Significance of the angle theta at r=0 point

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the significance of the angle θ in polar coordinates when the radial distance r is equal to zero. Participants unanimously agree that θ holds no significance at the origin (0, 0) since the point's location is fixed and independent of the angle. The consensus is that specifying an angle at the origin is unnecessary and does not contribute to the properties of the point. Therefore, θ is deemed undefined or irrelevant when r=0.

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C. Lee
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Hello,

I was working on a classical mechanics problem, and I suddenly came up with this question:

Let's think about a point in a 2-D plane. This point is represented by (r, θ), where r is the distance between the origin and the point and θ is the angle measured from the x-axis.

Now, what is the significance of the angle θ if r=0?

Personally, I do not think θ has any significance because θ do not affect any property of the point since it is located exactly at the origin. To me, it makes no sense at all to specify a point at the origin with an angle.

Is there any case where θ has any physical(or mathematical) significance although r=0?
 
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C. Lee said:
Is there any case where θ has any physical(or mathematical) significance although r=0?
No. We usually define the origin as the point (0, 0) and leave the points (0, θ) where θ ≠ 0 undefined.
 

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