Polar coordinates give us a way to locate a point in the plane, by specifying its distance \(r\) from the origin, and the angle a line from the origin through the point makes with the horizontal.

Polar coordinates can be written as the ordered pair \((r,\theta)\), where \(r\) is the distance from the origin, and \(\theta\) is the angle the line through the point makes with the horizontal axis.

For example, the point shown in the picture would have polar coordinates \((15,30^\circ)\).