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polar coordinate

noun Mathematics.

Usually polar coordinates. one of two coordinates used to locate a point in a plane by the length of its radius vector and the angle this vector makes with the polar axis (polar angle).

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Nearby words

  1. polar body,
  2. polar bond,
  3. polar cap,
  4. polar cataract,
  5. polar circle,
  6. polar coordinate system,
  7. polar coordinates,
  8. polar distance,
  9. polar equation,
  10. polar front

Origin of polar coordinate

First recorded in 1810–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for polar coordinates

polar coordinates

pl n

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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012