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Which set of polar coordinates describes the same location as the rectangular coordinates (0, -2)? Please explain if you answer.

a) (2, 0°)
b) (2, 180°)
c) (-2, 0°)
d) (-2, 180°)

User Govaadiyo
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The polar coordinates that describe the same location as the rectangular coordinates (0, -2) are (2, 180°), because the point lies 2 units along the negative y-axis, which is directly opposite the positive x-axis at an angle of 180°.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question regarding which set of polar coordinates describes the same location as the rectangular coordinates (0, -2) falls under the subject of Mathematics, typically covered at the high school level. To convert from Cartesian coordinates to polar coordinates, we use the concepts of distance from the origin and the angle formed with the positive x-axis.

The rectangular coordinates (0, -2) means the point is on the y-axis, 2 units below the origin. In polar coordinates, the radial distance (r) is always a positive quantity, which will be 2 in this case, since that is the straight-line distance from the origin to the point. The angle (θ), however, should reflect that the point is directly down the negative y-axis, which corresponds to an angle of 180° (or π radians). Therefore, the correct polar coordinates are (2, 180°).

User Pablo Flores
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