The polar coordinate system uses a point called the pole and a fixed ray called the polar axis to identify the location of a point P using polar coordinates (r, θ). R represents the distance from the pole to point P, while θ is the angle between the polar axis and a line extending from the pole to point P. Equations in polar coordinates take the form of r = k sinθ or r = j cosθ, where r is the distance and θ is the angle.