How to use the Excel ASIN function

Summary

The Excel ASIN function returns the arcsin of a number.

Purpose

Get the angle of a triangle.

Return value

Angle in Radians

Syntax

=ASIN (number)

Arguments

number - The ratio of the opposite-side over the hypotenuse of a right-triangle.

Usage notes

ARCSIN expects an input between -1 and 1, where the input is a ratio of the opposite-side over the hypotenuse of a right triangle.

θ = ASIN(opposite/adjacent) // Where θ is the angle

Inverse

ARCSIN( ratio) is the inverse of SIN(angle)

= angle = ARCSIN( SIN(angle))

Return Type

To convert from radians to degrees multiply by 180/pi() or use the DEGREES function.

= angle * 180/PI()

= DEGREES( angle)

Related functions

Excel SIN Function

The Excel SIN function returns the sine of angle given in radians. To supply an angle to SIN in degrees, multiply the angle by PI()/180 or use the RADIANS function to convert to radians.

Good links

Microsoft ASIN function documentation

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