How many types of coordinate systems are there ?
euclidean geometry - Why do we have three different coordinate systems (Cartesian, cylindrical, and spherical)? - Mathematics Stack Exchange
So....lets talk Geographic Coordinate Systems
What is the correct way of doing it (coordinate systems)?
What is the Coordinate System?
What is a rectangular coordinate system?
What are the basic coordinate systems?
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I see polar / sphere. Cylindrical. Rectangular.
Particularly interested in 3D and higher. What about special cases possible in higher dimensions is there a different system only in dimensions beyond 3D ?
Edit from comments below I see that for example in nature trees are cylinder sphere so using cylindrical coordinate systems out of many possibilities makes sense.
I have an inverse problem where I don’t know shape of my object / data structure and want to try coordinate systems to figure out shape synetry of my target. Which I don’t know if it’s even possible or thinking about it the right way I only took up to Calc 3
There are many more coordinate systems than that, though these are the most common. Things are much simpler if the symmetry of the coordinate system matches the symmetry of the problem. If we are studying the field of a point charge at the origin, the problem is spherically symmetric. In spherical coordinates the field is $\frac 1{r^2}\hat r$. In Cartesian coordinates it is $\frac {x\hat x + y\hat y + z\hat z}{(x^2+y^2+z^2)^{3/2}}$
Things often have symmetry. If an object is the same in all directions, for example a cone, or a cylinder, or even more so a sphere, then equations become simpler. Instead of three variables $x,y,z$, you can get by with $r,z$ because $\theta$ doesn't appear due to the symmetry.