Coordinates -- from Wolfram MathWorld

Coordinates

A set of variables which fix a geometric object. If the coordinates are distances measured along perpendicular axes, they are known as Cartesian coordinates. The study of geometry using one or more coordinate systems is known as analytic geometry.

SEE ALSO: Areal Coordinates, Barycentric Coordinates, Bipolar Coordinates, Bipolar Cylindrical Coordinates, Bispherical Coordinates, Cartesian Coordinates, Chow Coordinates, Confocal Ellipsoidal Coordinates, Confocal Paraboloidal Coordinates, Conical Coordinates, Coordinate Chart, Coordinate Plane, Coordinate System, Curvilinear Coordinates, Cyclidic Coordinates, Cylindrical Coordinates, Elliptic Cylindrical Coordinates, Gaussian Coordinate System, Grassmann Coordinates, Harmonic Coordinates, Homogeneous Coordinates, Left-Handed Coordinate System, Oblate Spheroidal Coordinates, Orthocentric Coordinates, Parabolic Coordinates, Parabolic Cylindrical Coordinates, Paraboloidal Coordinates, Pedal Coordinates, Polar Coordinates, Prolate Spheroidal Coordinates, Quadriplanar Coordinates, Right-Handed Coordinate System, Spherical Coordinates, Toroidal Coordinates, Trilinear Coordinates

REFERENCES:

Arfken, G. "Coordinate Systems." Ch. 2 in Mathematical Methods for Physicists, 3rd ed. Orlando, FL: Academic Press, pp. 85-117, 1985.

Woods, F. S. Higher Geometry: An Introduction to Advanced Methods in Analytic Geometry. New York: Dover, p. 1, 1961.

CITE THIS AS:

Weisstein, Eric W. "Coordinates." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource. http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Coordinates.html