In this case, the configuration space Q = R 3 × × S O ( 3 ) is six-dimensional, and a point q ∈ ∈ Q is just a point in that space. The "location" of q in that configuration space is described using generalized coordinates ; thus, three of the coordinates might describe the location of the center of mass of the rigid body, while three more might be the Euler angles describing its orientation. There is no canonical choice of coordinates; one could also choose some tip or endpoint of the rigid body, instead of its center of mass; one might choose to use quaternions instead of Euler angles, and so on. However, the parameterization does not change the mechanical characteristics of the system; all of the different parameterizations ultimately describe the same (six-dimensional) manifold, the same set of possible positions and orientations.