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IanRiensche1-Visitor
1-Visitor
January 12, 2011
Question

Polar Coordinates

  • January 12, 2011
  • 2 replies
  • 17785 views

Does anyone know how to display complex calculated results in polar coordinates? I realize one can enter polar coordinates in complex calculations using Euler's formula, but MathCAD always returns the result in Cartesian coordinates. This is particularly annoying, especially if one is trying to compare the calculated values to the input values. If there isn't a way to do this, then I think it should be added as a feature to MathCAD. It's hard to imagine a software package as powerful (and expensive) as MathCAD not offering polar coordinates. We pay a fee annually to stay current with MathCAD, and I submitted this as a suggestion more than a year ago, but still haven't seen it. The entire power industry is a sector of the engineering industry that would benefit from this because we deal with polar coordinates all the time.

2 replies

V
24-Ruby IV
ValeryOchkov24-Ruby IV
24-Ruby IV
January 13, 2011

It is built-in format in Mathcad Prime.

In Mathcad ** we can use user tool:

http://twt.mpei.ac.ru/ochkov/Sovet_MC/169/169.gif

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IanRiensche1-VisitorAuthor
1-Visitor
January 13, 2011

Thank you, Valery. That is a very nice function - I tried it out and it parses X-Y coordinates nicely, returning polar values as a string. But I couldn't get it to force a calculated result to display in polar. MathCAD doesn't allow a final result to be manipulated with a function. I think I will have to wait until the powers that be decide to include a coordinate system display option feature. Even my 7-year-old graphing calculator allows the user to choose between rectangular, polar or spherical representation. Best regards.

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IanRiensche1-VisitorAuthor
1-Visitor
January 13, 2011

Here is what I would suggest to MathCAD, if someone from MathCAD is paying attention. Include the coordinate system as a Worksheet Display Option choice (see below and note the pasted-in Coordinate System as an example):

scrnsht3.bmp

A better alternative might be to include the coordinate system as a right-click option; the user could right-click on a complex equation and select the display coordinate system for that equation (again, note the pasted-in Coordinate System as an example):

rightclick.bmp

M
MikeArmstrong1-Visitor
1-Visitor
January 13, 2011
The entire power industry is a sector of the engineering industry that would benefit from this because we deal with polar coordinates all the time.

That is a big statement saying the entire industry would benefit.

because we deal with polar coordinates all the time.

Sorry to be argumentative, but I actually use Cartesian, but I do agree that Mathcad should include a conversion.

Mike

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IanRiensche1-VisitorAuthor
1-Visitor
January 13, 2011

While it is true that line impedance values are sometimes represented in rectangular coordinates (resistance, reactance), the vast majority of computations and analyses performed by power system engineers revolve around magnitude and phase angle, including: synchronism check, polarizing quantities, alpha plane calculations, symmetrical components, load encroachment, etc. One could say that power system analysis is very angle dependent, and the use of rectangular coordinates often inserts a degree of separation (no pun intended) between the output and what the engineer is ultimately looking for, requiring an extra step on the part of the engineer.

I'm familiar with the xy2pol() and pol2xy() functions that were mentioned, but as I pointed out above, one cannot apply a MathCAD function to a calculated result. If I want to find a zero-sequence quantity by adding vectorally the three complex phase quantities, MathCAD yields the result in Cartesian, and there isn't a function in existance that will deliver the answer in polar.

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RichardJ19-Tanzanite
19-Tanzanite
January 14, 2011

but as I pointed out above, one cannot apply a MathCAD function to a calculated result.

Yes you can (in later Mathcad versions, anyway). See "Help", "Tutorials", "Features in Depth", "Temperature and User Defined Units" for more information.

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