Coordinate Curves and Surfaces
In two dimensions if all but one coordinate in a point coordinate system is held constant and the remaining coordinate is allowed to vary, then the resulting curve is called a coordinate curve (some authors use the phrase "coordinate line"). This procedure does not always make sense, for example there are no coordinate curves in a homogeneous coordinate system. In the Cartesian coordinate system the coordinate curves are, in fact, lines. Specifically, they are the lines parallel to one of the coordinate axes. For other coordinate systems the coordinates curves may be general curves. For example the coordinate curves in polar coordinates obtained by holding r constant are the circles with center at the origin. Coordinates systems for Euclidean space other than the Cartesian coordinate system is called curvilinear coordinate systems.
In three dimensional space, if one coordinate is held constant and the remaining coordinates are allowed to vary, then the resulting surface is called a coordinate surface. For example the coordinate surfaces obtained by holding ρ constant in the spherical coordinate system are the spheres with center at the origin. In three dimensional space the intersection of two coordinate surfaces is a coordinate curve. Coordinate hypersurfaces are defined similarly in higher dimensions.
Read more about this topic: Coordinate System
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