A central force is a force that points along the (positive or negative) radial direction ˆr, and whose magnitude depends only on the distance r to the origin - so \(\boldsymbol{F...A central force is a force that points along the (positive or negative) radial direction ˆr, and whose magnitude depends only on the distance r to the origin - so F(r)=F(r)ˆr.
Although in principle all planar motion can be described in Cartesian coordinates, they are not always the easiest choice. For example, a central force field (a force field whose magnitude only depend...Although in principle all planar motion can be described in Cartesian coordinates, they are not always the easiest choice. For example, a central force field (a force field whose magnitude only depends on the distance to the origin, and points in the radial direction). For such a force field polar coordinates are a more natural choice than Cartesians. However, polar coordinates do carry a few subtleties not present in the Cartesian system, because the direction of the axes depends on position.
