Re: PolarPlot
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg87828] Re: PolarPlot
- From: Helen Read <read at math.uvm.edu>
- Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2008 02:39:29 -0400 (EDT)
- References: <ftmu5p$50d$1@smc.vnet.net> <ftv938$80f$1@smc.vnet.net> <fu1u66$oom$1@smc.vnet.net> <fu6me8$nml$1@smc.vnet.net>
dh wrote: > > Hi Helen, >> >> just saw your reply. A coordinate system as you propose would assign >> >> more than one coordinate tuple to any point. Although I can see >> >> aplications in graphics (cycloids...), I do not think that this makes >> >> life easier for calculations. There are enough problems with unique >> >> maps, no need to make artificial ones. > I am not proposing anything. If you consult any calculus textbook, you will see that defining r as a directed distance (which may be negative) is *standard*. And as for non-unique coordinates, this would be the case for polar coordinates even if we only allowed non-negative r, since you can always add or subtract any multiple of 2Pi from the angle. -- Helen Read University of Vermont