- #1
nomadreid
Gold Member
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Is "radius" a misnomer in a polar equation?
Often I see the description of "r" in a polar equation r = r(theta) as being "radius", but "radius" is a length, and here you can have a negative r. Hence "radius" is a misnomer, as far as I can tell. Perhaps it would be better described with some term like "signed radius" or some vector terminology?
Often I see the description of "r" in a polar equation r = r(theta) as being "radius", but "radius" is a length, and here you can have a negative r. Hence "radius" is a misnomer, as far as I can tell. Perhaps it would be better described with some term like "signed radius" or some vector terminology?