Coordinate Systems

Conventionally, when you think of a coordinate system you think of a cartesian coordinate system. The main advantage of a cartesian coordinate system is that the unit vectors are constant in direction. However, not all physical problems are best described using cartesian coordinates due to symmetries or constraints. For instance, when solving a central force problem, such as the motion of a body due to a gravitational or electrostatic force, spherical or polar coordinates are more efficient.

In the pages in this section we will elaborate the details of several non-cartesian, or curvilinear coordinate systems. First we will briefly review cartesian coordinates and vector operators and proceed on to curvilinear and non-orthogonal coordinate systems.

Contents

Cartesian Coordinates
Curvilinear Coordinate Systems
Non-Orthogonal Coordinates

Group Management
Log In/Out

Back to Main Page