Excel: Trigonometric Functions Returning Incorrect Values

Last reviewed: November 29, 1994
Article ID: Q41064

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 1.x, 2.2, 3.0, 4.0

SUMMARY

Trigonometric functions in Microsoft Excel calculate the result based on radians, not degrees.

An angle in radians equals Angle*(180/PI()) in degrees. The following formula converts degrees into radians, where "DEGREES" is the degrees of an angle that is being converted to radians:

   =DEGREES/(180/pi())

For example, to find the sine of a 43-degree angle, use the following formula:

   =SIN(43/(180/pi()))

KBCategory: kbusage
KBSubcategory:
Additional words: 1.0 1.00 1.03 1.04 1.06 1.5 1.50 2.2 2.20
3.0 3.00 4.0 4.00

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Last reviewed: November 29, 1994
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