Cartesian to Polar Coordinates
Enter a point (x, y) in the Cartesian plane. The calculator computes the polar coordinates (r, θ) using r = √(x² + y²) and θ = atan2(y, x), reporting θ in both degrees and radians, normalized to [0°, 360°).
Frequently asked questions
Why atan2 instead of atan?
atan(y/x) loses sign information and is undefined when x = 0. atan2(y, x) returns the correct angle in every quadrant.
What is θ at the origin?
The angle is undefined at (0, 0); the calculator reports it as 0 by convention.
Why is θ normalized to [0°, 360°)?
Both conventions are used in textbooks; the normalized range is the more common one for cartesian-to-polar conversion. Adding 360° gives an equivalent coterminal angle.