derivation of the Laplacian from

rectangular to spherical coordinates

swapnizzle
2013-03-21 22:51:43
We begin by recognizing the familiar conversion from rectangular to spherical
coordinates (note that is used to denote the azimuthal angle, whereas is used
to denote the polar angle)
x = r sin() cos(),

y = r sin() sin(),

z = r cos(),

and conversely from spherical to rectangular coordinates

z 
y
p
r = x2 + y 2 + z 2 ,
= arccos
,
= arctan
.
r
x

(1)

(2)

Now, we know that the Laplacian in rectangular coordinates is defined1 in the

following way
2 f

2f
2f
2f
+
+
.
x2
y 2
z 2

(3)

We also know that the partial derivatives in rectangular coordinates can be

expanded in the following way by using the chain rule
f
x
f
y
f
z

=
=
=

f
r
f
r
f
r

r
f
f
+
+
,
x
x x
r
f
f
+
+
,
y
y y
r
f f
+
+
.
z
z
z

(4)
(5)
(6)

The next step is to convert the right-hand side of each of the above three equations so that it only has partial derivatives in terms of r, and . We can do
hDerivationOfTheLaplacianFromRectangularToSphericalCoordinatesi
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1 Readers should note that we do not have to define the Laplacian this way. A more rigorous
approach would be to define the Laplacian in some coordinate free manner.

this by substituting the following values (which are easily derived from (2)) in
their respective places in the above three equations
r

1
= sin() cos(),
= cos() cos(),
x
x
r
r

1
= sin() sin(),
= cos() sin(),
y
y
r
r

= cos(),
= sin(),
= 0.
z
z
r
z

1 sin()
=
,
x
r sin()

1 cos()
=
,
y
r sin()
(7)

After the substitution, equation (4) looks like the following

f
x

sin() cos()

f
1
f
1 sin() f
+ cos() cos()

.
r
r

r sin()

Assuming that f is a sufficiently differentiable function, we can replace f by

in the above equation and arrive at the following
2f
x2

sin() cos()

(8)
f
x

h f i 1
h f i 1 sin() h f i
+ cos() cos()

(9)
.
r x
r
x
r sin() x

Now the trick is to substitute equation (8) into equation (9) in order to eliminate
any partial derivatives with respect to x. The result is the following equation
2f
x2

1
f
1 sin() f i
h
f
+ cos() cos()

sin() cos()
+
r
r
r

r sin()
h
1
f
1 sin() f i
1
f
cos() cos()
+ cos() cos()

sin() cos()

r
r

r sin()
1 sin() h
f
1
f
1 sin() f i
sin() cos()
+ cos() cos()

.
r sin()
r
r

r sin()

sin() cos()

In the hopes of simplifying the above equation, we operate the derivates on the
operands and get
2f
x2

h
2f
1
f
1
2f
sin() cos() sin() cos() 2 2 cos() cos()
+ cos() cos()
+
r
r

r
r
h
1 sin() f
1 sin() 2 f i 1
f

+
cos()
cos()
cos() cos()
+
r2 sin() r sin() r
r
r
2f
1
f
1
2f
1 sin() cos() f
sin() cos()
sin() cos()
+ cos() cos() 2 +

r
r

r sin2 ()
1 sin() 2 f i 1 sin() h
f
2f

sin() sin()
+ sin() cos()

r sin()
r sin()
r
r
1
f
1
2f
1 cos() f
1 sin() 2 f i
cos() sin()
+ cos() cos()

.
r

r
r sin() r sin() 2

After further simplifying the above equation, we arrive at the following form
2f
x2

2f
1
f
1
2f
2 cos() sin()cos2 ()
+ cos() sin()cos2 ()
+
2
r
r

r
r
f
1
2f i h 1 2
1
f
sin()
cos()

sin()
cos()
+
+ cos ()cos2 ()
r2
r
r
r
r
1
2f
1
f
1
2f
sin() cos()cos2 ()
2 sin() cos()cos2 ()
+ 2 cos2 ()cos2 () 2 +
r
r r

1 sin() cos()cos2 () f
1 cos() sin() cos() 2 f i h 1 2
f
+ sin ()

r2
r2
sin()

r
r
sin2 ()

sin2 ()cos2 ()

1
2f
1 cos()sin2 () f
1 cos() cos() sin() 2 f
sin() cos()
+ 2
2
+
r
r r
sin()

r
sin()

1 sin() cos() f
1 sin2 () 2 f i
+ 2
.
2
2
r
r sin2 () 2
sin ()
Notice that we have derived the first term of the right-hand side of equation
2
(3) (i.e. xf2 ) in terms of spherical coordinates. We now have to do a similar
2

arduous derivation for the rest of the two terms (i.e. yf2 and zf2 ). Lets do it!
After we substitute the values of (7) into equation (5) we get
f
y

sin() sin()

f
1
f
1 cos() f
+ cos() sin()
+
.
r
r

r sin()

(10)

Again, assuming that f is a sufficiently differentiable function, we can replace

f by f
y in the above equation and arrive at the following
2f
y 2

sin() sin()

h f i 1
h f i 1 cos() h f i
+ cos() sin()
+
(11)
.
r y
r
y
r sin() y

Now we substitute equation (10) into equation (11) in order to eliminate any
partial derivatives with respect to y. The result is the following
2f
y 2

h
f
1
f
1 cos() f i
sin() sin()
+ cos() sin()
+
+
r
r
r

r sin()
h
f
1
f
1 cos() f i
1
cos() sin()
sin() sin()
+ cos() sin()
+
+
r

r
r

r sin()
1 cos() h
f
1
f
1 cos() f i
sin() sin()
+ cos() sin()
+
.
r sin()
r
r

r sin()

sin() sin()

Now we operate the operators and get

h
2f
1
f
2f
1
2f
= sin() sin() sin() sin() 2 2 cos() sin()
+ cos() sin()

2
y
r
r

r
r
h
1 cos() f
1 cos() 2 f i 1
f
+ cos() sin() sin() sin()
+
+
2
r sin() r sin() r
r
r
1 cos()cos() f
f
1
f
1
2f
cos() sin()
sin() sin()
+ cos() sin() 2
+
r
r

r sin2 ()
f
1 cos() 2 f i 1 cos() h
2f
+
sin() cos()
+ sin() sin()
+
r sin()
r sin()
r
r
1
f
1
2f
1 sin() f
1 cos() 2 f i
,
cos() cos()
+ cos() sin()

+
r

r
r sin() r sin() 2
and after some simplifications
h
2f
1
f
2f
1
2f
=
sin2 ()sin2 () 2 2 sin() cos()sin2 ()
+ sin() cos()sin2 ()

2
y
r
r

r
r
1
f
1
2f i h 1
f
sin()
cos()
+
sin()
cos()
+
cos() sin()sin2 ()
+
2
r
r
r
r
r
1 2
f
1
f
1
2f
cos ()sin2 ()
2 sin() cos()sin2 ()
+ 2 cos2 ()sin2 () 2
r
r
r

1 cos() sin() cos() 2 f i h 1 2

f
1 sin() cos()cos2 () f
+
+
+ cos ()
r2
r2
sin()

r
r
sin2 ()
1
2f
1 cos()cos2 () f
1 cos()cos() sin() 2 f
cos() sin()
+ 2
+ 2

r
r r
sin()

r
sin()

1 sin() cos() f
1 cos2 () 2 f i
+
.
2
r2
r2 sin2 () 2
sin ()
Now its time to derive
equation (6) we get
f
z

2f
z 2 .

After our substitution of value in (7) into

cos()

f
1
f
sin() .
r
r

(12)

Once more, assuming that f is a sufficiently differentiable function, we can

replace f by f
z in the above equation which gives us the following
2f
z 2

cos()

h f i 1
h f i
sin()
.
r z
r
z

(13)

Now we substitute equation (12) into equation (13) in order to eliminate any
partial derivatives with respect to z and we arrive at
2f
f
1
f i
h
=
cos()
cos()

sin()

z 2
r
r
r

h
1

f
1
f i
sin()
cos()
sin()
.
r

r
r

After operating the operators we get

2f
z 2

h
2f
1
f
1
2f i
cos() cos() 2 + 2 sin()

sin()
r
r

r
r
h
1
f
2f
1
f
sin() sin()
+ cos()
cos()

r
r
r
r

2 i
1
f
sin() 2 ,
r

and then simplifying

2f
z 2

2f
1
f
1
2 f i h 1 2 f
+
cos()
sin()
+ sin ()

cos()
sin()

r2
r2

r
r
r
r
2f
1
f
1
2f i
1
sin() cos()
+ 2 sin() cos()
+ 2 sin2 () 2 .
r
r r

cos2 ()

Now that we have all three terms of the right hand side of equation (3)(i.e.
2
and zf2 ), we add them all together (because of equation (3)) to get

2f 2f
x2 , y 2

the laplacian in terms of r, and

h
2f
1
f
1
2f
2 f = sin2 ()cos2 () 2 2 cos() sin()cos2 ()
+ cos() sin()cos2 ()
+
r
r

r
r
i
h
2
f
1
1
1
f
f
sin() cos()
+ cos2 ()cos2 ()
sin() cos()
+
2
r
r
r
r
r
f
2f
1
2f
1
1
sin() cos()cos2 ()
2 sin() cos()cos2 ()
+ 2 cos2 ()cos2 () 2 +
r
r r

1 sin() cos()cos2 () f
1 cos() sin() cos() 2 f i h 1 2
f
+ sin ()

r2
r2
sin()

r
r
sin2 ()
1
2f
1 cos()sin2 () f
1 cos() cos() sin() 2 f
sin() cos()
+ 2
2
+
r
r r
sin()

r
sin()

1 sin2 () 2 f i h 2
2f
1 sin() cos() f
2
+

+
sin
()sin
()
r2
r2 sin2 () 2
r2
sin2 ()
1
f
1
2f
1
f
sin() cos()sin2 ()
+ sin() cos()sin2 ()
2 sin() cos()
+
2
r

r
r r

2f i h 1
f
1
f
1
sin() cos()
cos() sin()sin2 ()
+ cos2 ()sin2 ()

+
r
r
r
r
r
r
1
f
1
2f
1 sin() cos()cos2 () f
2
2
2
sin()
cos()sin
()
+
cos
()sin
()

+
r2

r2
2
r2

sin2 ()
1 cos() sin() cos() 2 f i h 1 2
f
1
2f
+ cos ()
+ cos() sin()
+
2
r
sin()

r
r
r
r
1 cos()cos2 () f
1 cos()cos() sin() 2 f
1 sin() cos() f
+ 2
2
+
2
r
sin()

r
sin()
r

sin2 ()
1 cos2 () 2 f i h 2 2 f
1
f
1
2f i
+ cos () 2 + 2 cos() sin()
cos() sin()
+
2
2
2
r sin ()
r
r

r
r
h1
f
1
2f
1
f
1
2f i
sin2 ()
sin() cos()
+ 2 sin() cos()
+ 2 sin2 () 2 .
r
r
r
r r

It may be hard to believe but the truth is that the above expression, after
some miraculous simplifications of course, reduces to the following succinct form
and we finally arrive at the Laplacian in spherical coordinates!
2 f

2f
1 cos() f
1 2f
1
1 2f
2 f
+ 2
.
+
+
+
r2
r2 2
r2 sin2 () 2
r r
r sin()

(14)

We can write the Laplacian in an even more compact form as2

1 h 2 f i
1
h
f i
1
2f
2 f =
r
+
sin()
+
. (15)
r2 r
r
r2 sin()

r2 sin2 () 2
2 Readers might be surprised how I got from expression (14) to expression (15) so fast!
Even though it is true that expression (14) is equivalent to expression (15), I wouldnt have
been able to write the expression (15) if I hadnt known about it beforehand.