How are impedances described in polar coordinates?

In the polar coordinate system, a point or vector is defined by its distance from the origin and its angle relative to a reference axis. When applied to AC circuits, this translates to describing impedance by its magnitude (total ohms) and its phase angle (in degrees). This is highly useful because the magnitude gives the total opposition to current flow (Z), and the phase angle indicates the phase shift between voltage and current. In contrast, the rectangular coordinate system describes impedance using horizontal and vertical components, specifically the real and imaginary parts (Resistance and Reactance, or R and X values).