Sferische

Sferische is an adjective used in several languages to denote objects or concepts related to a sphere. The form is related to the root sfera or sphaira, and appears in languages such as Polish and in technical contexts where the term is borrowed or adapted. In English, the corresponding term is spherical, while sferische is encountered mainly in specialized or translational uses.

In geometry and mathematics, sferische describes anything pertaining to a sphere or its surface. A sphere is the set of all points at a fixed distance (the radius) from a central point. The term also appears in the designation of coordinate systems, such as sferyczne coordinates (spherical coordinates), which specify a point by radial distance, polar angle, and azimuthal angle.

In physics, sferische concepts arise in problems with spherical symmetry. Such problems have quantities that depend only on the distance from a center, allowing simplifications in solving field equations. Spherical harmonics, a set of functions defined on the surface of a sphere, are used to describe angular variations in fields and in quantum mechanics, acoustics, and computer graphics.

In astronomy and geodesy, many bodies and surfaces are modeled as spheres or near-spheres. Planets and stars are often approximated as spheres in order to simplify calculations, while real objects may deviate into ellipsoids or oblate shapes due to rotation and internal structure. The language-specific form sferische appears mainly in technical writing and translations; the English standard is spherical.

See also: spherical geometry, spherical coordinates, spherical harmonics, spherical symmetry.