Rectangular coordinates use horizontal and vertical distances. Polar coordinates use distance from the origin and direction angle, which are found from the Pythagorean theorem and inverse tangent.
⚠The angle is returned in degrees from 0° to 360°. The origin has radius 0 and no unique direction.
How Rectangular to Polar Conversion Works
The radius is the distance from the origin to the point. The angle is found from the coordinate direction while preserving the correct quadrant.
x Coordinate
Horizontal location.
y Coordinate
Vertical location.
Radius
Distance from origin.
Angle
Direction from positive x-axis.
💡 Example: For x=3 and y=4, r=5 and θ=53.130102°.
Applications of Rectangular to Polar
VectorsComplex NumbersPolar GraphsEngineering
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a rectangular to polar calculator?▼
It converts x and y coordinates into radius and angle form.
What is the rectangular to polar formula?▼
r = √(x²+y²) and θ = atan2(y,x).
How do I use this calculator?▼
Enter x and y coordinates, then click Calculate.
Why use atan2 instead of arctan?▼
atan2 uses the signs of x and y to place the angle in the correct quadrant.
Where is rectangular to polar conversion used?▼
It is used in vectors, complex numbers, polar graphs, physics, and engineering.
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