Plotting Graphs in Polar Coordinates using polarplot.

polarplot is a command in the plots library , so the command with(plots) is used to load this command.

> with(plots);

The function to be plotted must be in the polar form r = f(theta).

Plot the function using polarplot with the first parameter equal to the formula for r, and the second the interval for theta.

This is analogous to way we did a function in rectangular coordinates using plot .

> polarplot(1+sin(theta),theta=0..2*Pi);

Sometimes the graph may look somewhat distorted because the units uses on the two axes are not the same.

> polarplot(1+cos(4*t),t=0..Pi);

You can click on the graph, and then click on the 1:1 which then appears on a toolbar above, or

you can just add the option scaling=constrained to the polarplot command.

> polarplot(1+cos(4*t),t=0..Pi,scaling=constrained);

Try different intervals to gain an understanding of how the graph is drawn as the independent variable increases.