Cylindrical coordinates are a three-dimensional coordinate system that extends the two-dimensional polar coordinates by adding a height component. In this system, a point in space is represented by three values: the radial distance r from a central axis, the angular coordinate θ that indicates the direction around the axis, and the height z above a reference plane. This system is particularly useful in situations where objects have cylindrical symmetry, such as in the case of cylinders, pipes, or tubes. By using cylindrical coordinates, complex problems in physics and engineering can be simplified, making calculations more manageable.