1

Polar conversion
Youve seen that points in a plane can be described using
Cartesian coordinates (x, y) and also polar coordinates (r, ).
What is the relationship between the two representations?
1. Consider the point shown here.
(a) Write the polar coordinates for this point using posi-
tive values for both r and .
(b) To nd the Cartesian coordinates, rst use the point
as a vertex of a right triangle.
i. Construct a vertical segment from the point to the
x-axis.
ii. Then, use what you know about right triangles to
nd the lengths of each leg of the triangle.
iii. What are the Cartesian coordinates for the point?
2. Now try it with this point.
(a) Write the polar coordinates for the point.
(b) Again, use the point as a vertex of a right triangle.
i. Construct a vertical segment from the point to the
x-axis.
ii. What is the measure of the triangles interior angle
at the origin?
iii. Use trigonometry to nd the lengths of the legs.
iv. Write the Cartesian coordinates for the point.
Problems with a Point: December 11, 2001 c EDC 2001
Polar conversion: Problem 2
The general casending Cartesian coordinates for any point
with polar coordinates (r, )isnt quite as straightforward.
3. Here is a point in Quadrant I. Draw a triangle, as before,
and use trigonometry to nd the Cartesian coordinates.
4. Draw a vertical segment from this point in Quadrant II to
the x-axis, to construct a right triangle.
(a) What is the measure of the triangles interior angle at
the origin?
(b) What are the lengths of the legs? Give the lengths of the legs in
terms of r and the measure of the
interior angle.
(c) What are the Cartesian coordinates of the point?
5. Of course, youd like the formulas you wrote for the Quad-
rant I point to also work for the Quadrant II point. Less to remember that way!
(a) Prove or disprove that, for the Quadrant II point, your
formula for the x-coordinate in problem 3 is equivalent
to the one you wrote in problem 4c.
(b) Prove or disprove that the formulas give equivalent
y-coordinates.
6. Use a right triangle to nd the Cartesian coordinates for Dont assume that one of the
formulas you used before will
work here. You have to nd the
formula and then show they give
the same results.
a point in Quadrant III (below left). Prove or disprove
that the formula you wrote in problem 3 gives equivalent
coordinates.
7. Do the same for a point in Quadrant IV (above right).
8. Is there a single formula that converts polar coordinates to
Cartesian coordinates? If so, what is it?
Problems with a Point: December 11, 2001 c EDC 2001
Polar conversion: Hints 1
Hints
Hint for problem 5. The formulas are, in fact, equivalent. Use
the trigonometric addition formulas to transform the formulas
from problem 4c into the formulas from problem 3.
Problems with a Point: December 11, 2001 c EDC 2001
Polar conversion: Answers 1
Answers
1. (a) (4, 225

)
(b) The lengths of the legs are both 2

2, so the Cartesian
coordinates are (2

2, 2

2).
2. (a) (5, 122

)
(b) The measure of the interior angle is 68

, so the length
of the horizontal leg is 5 cos 68

(about 1.873). The

length of the vertical leg is 5 sin 68

(about 4.636). The

Cartesian coordinates are (5 cos 68

, 5 sin 68

).
3. (r cos , r sin )
4. (a) 180
(b) horizontal: r cos(180 ); vertical: r sin(180 )
(c) (r cos(180 ), r sin(180 )) Teachers Note: As students
will prove in problem 5,
(r cos , r sin ) is an equivalent
way to answer problem 4c.
5. The formulas are equivalent. See the solutions for the
proofs.
6. The Cartesian coordinates are
(r cos( 180), r sin( 180)).
See the solutions for the proof that this is equivalent to
(r cos , r sin ).
7. The Cartesian coordinates are
(r cos(360 ), r sin(360 )).
See the solutions for the proof that this is equivalent to
(r cos , r sin ).
8. Yes; any of the formulas will work, since theyre all equiva-
lent. The easiest to remember is probably (r cos , r sin ).
Problems with a Point: December 11, 2001 c EDC 2001
Polar conversion: Solutions 1
Solutions
Solution to problem 5. A derivation of the trigonometric
addition formulas used here can
be found in the problem set titled,
strangely enough, Trigonometric
addition formulas.
r cos(180 ) = r(cos 180 cos + sin 180 sin )
= r(1 cos + 0 sin )
= r cos
Similarly,
r sin(180 ) = r(sin 180 cos cos 180 sin )
= r[0 (1) sin ]
= r sin
Solution to problem 6. The measure of the triangles in-
terior angle at the origin is 180

. The lengths of the legs

are r cos( 180) and r sin( 180), so the coordinates are
(r cos( 180), r sin( 180)). Using the addition formulas
gives the following:
r cos( 180) = r(cos cos 180 + sin sin 180)
= r(1 cos + 0)
= r cos
r sin( 180) = r(sin cos 180 cos sin 180)
= r[(sin )(1) 0]
= r sin
Solution to problem 7. The measure of the triangles in-
terior angle at the origin is 360

. The lengths of the legs

are r cos(360 ) and r sin(360 ), so the coordinates are
(r cos(360 ), r sin(360 )). Using the addition formulas
gives the following:
r cos(360 ) = r(cos 360 cos + sin 360 sin )
= r(1 cos + 0)
= r cos
r sin(360 ) = r(sin 360 cos cos 360 sin )
= r(0 sin )
= r sin
Problems with a Point: December 11, 2001 c EDC 2001