Converting equations from rectangular to polar form involves substituting the rectangular coordinates \(x\) and \(y\) with their polar equivalents, \(r \cos \theta\) and \(r \sin \theta\), respectively. This process is straightforward and can be accomplished through algebraic manipulation.
For instance, consider the equation \(y = 5\). By substituting \(y\) with \(r \sin \theta\), we rewrite the equation as:
\(r \sin \theta = 5\).
To isolate \(r\), divide both sides by \(\sin \theta\):
\(r = \frac{5}{\sin \theta}\).
Recognizing that \(\frac{1}{\sin \theta} = \csc \theta\), we can express the final polar form as:
\(r = 5 \csc \theta\).
Next, consider the equation \(y = x + 1\). Substituting both \(x\) and \(y\) gives:
\(r \sin \theta = r \cos \theta + 1\).
To solve for \(r\), rearrange the equation by moving \(r \cos \theta\) to the left side:
\(r \sin \theta - r \cos \theta = 1\).
Factoring out \(r\) results in:
\(r(\sin \theta - \cos \theta) = 1\).
Dividing both sides by \((\sin \theta - \cos \theta)\) yields:
\(r = \frac{1}{\sin \theta - \cos \theta}\).
Lastly, for the equation \(x^2 + y^2 = 25\), we can utilize the identity \(x^2 + y^2 = r^2\). Thus, we can directly substitute:
\(r^2 = 25\).
Taking the square root of both sides gives:
\(r = 5\).
This indicates a circle of radius 5 in polar coordinates.
In summary, when converting equations from rectangular to polar form, remember the key substitutions: \(x = r \cos \theta\), \(y = r \sin \theta\), and the identity \(x^2 + y^2 = r^2\). Mastering these conversions will enhance your understanding of polar coordinates and their applications.