Polar Coordinates Mathematicians translate between geometry and algebra using “coordinates”, assignments of ordered lists of numbers to geometric locations. To define rectangular coordinates in the plane, see our blog post on functions, coordinates, and graphs, we fix perpendicular “axes”: a horizontal and a vertical number line meeting at a point called the “origin”, let \(x\) denote…
Tag: precalculus
Functions, Coordinates, and Graphs
Functions In mathematics, a function represents a causal relationship between “input” and “output.” For example, the area \(A\) of a square of side length \(s\) is given by the formula \(A = s^{2}\), read “\(A\) equals \(s\) squared.” If \(s\) is known, the area is determined. The name of the algebraic operation, squaring, matches its…