Purpose
Return value
Syntax
=COS(number)- number - The angle in radians for which you want the cosine.
How to use
The COS function returns the cosine of an angle provided in radians. In geometric terms, the cosine of an angle returns the ratio of a right triangle's adjacent side over its hypotenuse. For example, the cosine of PI()/6 radians (30°) returns the ratio 0.866.
=COS(PI()/6) // Returns 0.886
Using Degrees
To supply an angle to COS in degrees, multiply the angle by PI()/180 or use the RADIANS function to convert to radians. For example, to get the COS of 60 degrees, you can use either formula below:
=COS(60*PI()/180)
=COS(RADIANS(60))
Explanation
The graph of cosine above visualizes the output of the function for all angles from 0 to a full rotation. Geometrically, the function returns the x-component of the point corresponding to an angle on the unit circle. Since the cosine of an angle returns a ratio, the output of the function will always be in the range [-1, 1].
Graph courtesy of wumbo.net
Related functions
SIN Function
The Excel SIN function returns the sine of an 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.
TAN Function
The Excel TAN function returns the tangent of the angle given in radians. To supply an angle to TAN in degrees, multiply the angle by PI()/180 or use the RADIANS function to convert to radians.
ACOS Function
The ACOS function returns the inverse cosine of a number. The function is the inverse of COS and expects input in the range from -1 to 1.
