The Compendium Geometry is an eBook providing facts, formulas and explanations about geometry.


Home Coordinate Systems 3D Cylindrical Coordinate System
See also: Polar Coordinate System, Cartesian Coordinate System, Conversion between 3D Coordinate Systems, Spherical Coordinate System, Circular Cylinder 

Cylindrical Coordinate System

The cylindrical coordinate system specifies the position of a point P by the combination of its distance to the z-axis (radius r), the angle j between the x-axis and the line OQ, and the elevation along the z-axis. Note, that the angle is positive in counter-clockwise direction and negative in clockwise direction. The value of the angle is measured in radians (0..2p) or degrees (0..360°).

To specify a particular point in a cylindrical coordinate system, you indicate the coordinate values in the form [r, j, z]. The r coordinate is called radial coordinate, the j coordinate is called azimuthal coordinate, and the z coordinate is also called the applicate.

A point in the cylindrical coordinate system.

Last Update: 2007-Sep-03