Section 10.3 From Calculus Early Transcendental by James Stewart, 6th Edition 2008
Polar coordinates represent points in a plane using a radial distance r from the origin and an angle θ from a reference direction. Polar curves are graphs of functions r = f(θ) that describe relationships between the radial distance r and the polar angle θ. Important polar curves include roses, spirals, and Lissajous figures which have applications in engineering, physics, and art.