The Lesson
The polar coordinates of a point can be read off from a graph.How to Read Off the Polar Coordinates a Point
Reading off the polar coordinates of a point is easy.Question
What are the polar coordinates of the point shown on the graph below.
Step-by-Step:
1
Draw a line from the pole to the point.
Don't forget: In polar coordinates, there is a reference point (called the pole) and a reference direction shown by the horizontal polar axis.

2
Find the length of this line.
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Use a ruler with the same scale as the polar axis:
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Use a compass. With the compass needle on the pole, draw an arc through the point to the polar axis:
3
Measure the angle of the line from the polar axis (in the counter-clockwise direction).
The angle is 45°.
45° is the angular coordinate of the point.

4
Write down the polar coordinates as a pair of numbers in brackets, separated by a comma.
The radial coordinate (5) found in Step 2 goes on the left.
The angular coordinate (45°) found in Step 3 goes on the right.
Answer:
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Reading Off Point from Polar Coordinates Using the Polar Grid
A polar grid helps us draw a point from polar coordinates.
- The concentric circles show us points with the same radial coordinate (because the circles have the same radius).
- The straight lines show us points with the same angular coordinate (because all points on the line are the same angle from the polar axis).

What's in a Name?
Polar coordinates are named because Jacob Bernoulli called the point from which other points are measured the pole and the horizontal line which passes through it the polar axis.
Why Are Polar Coordinates Useful?
Polar coordinates are useful when dealing with circular geometry. All the points that can be drawn on a circumference of a circle have the same radius, but lie at difference angles. For example, a circle of radius 2: