Re: non-rectangular div/grad/curl (was: another math question)

[Gary Karshner <karshner@STMARYTX.EDU>]

Mike,
        As an astronomy student I remember getting confused because
astronomer use the math. way and measure the angle not from the z axis but
the xy plane. The reason is that is the way latitude or declination is
defined. As a student I neatly compartmentalized the equations in question
when I was in class, but when I had to reconstruct them later. I got very
confused until I realized what was going on.

Gary



>         I just ran into an interesting problem with this.  the students
> messed up two problems because their calc. course reversed the
> definitions of theta and phi in spherical coordinates (I always thought
> physics, and everyone else had theta from the z-axis, and phi as the
> azimuthal angle). They even showed me their calc. text with the angles
> reversed.  Sheesh...things you wouldn't even expect when teaching :)
>
>
>                                 Mike Monce
>                                 Connecticut College