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True or false: the unit vectors of the spherical coordinate system are constant vectors.

  • A.False, their directions changing with position in space
  • B.True, since each has unit magnitude wherever it is evaluated in space
  • C.True, provided the radial coordinate is held fixed during the calculation
  • D.True, the three being mutually perpendicular at every point in space

Answer: A

They have constant magnitude but not constant direction: the radial unit vector points differently at every point. Only the Cartesian unit vectors are genuinely constant, which is why differentiation is so much simpler in that system.

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