Excel RADIANS Function Example
This example uses the RADIANS function to convert a 45-degree angle to radians. The information covers the steps used to enter the RADIANS function into cell B2 of the example worksheet. Options for entering the function include:
Typing the complete function into cell B2, as shown in cell C3 above.Selecting the function and its arguments using the Function Dialog box.
Although it is possible to enter the complete function manually, many people find it easier to use the Function dialog box, as it takes care of inputting the function’s syntax such as brackets and comma separators between arguments.
Using the Function Box (Formula Builder on Mac) for RADIANS
Using PI() Function to Get the Angle in Radians
An alternative, as shown in cell C4 of the example image, is to multiply the angle by the PI() function and then divide the result by 180 to get the angle in radians. It looks like this:
Why Use the Excel RADIANS Function?
Excel has built-in trigonometric functions that make it easy to find the cosine, sine, and tangent of a right-angle triangle — a triangle containing an angle equal to 90 degrees. The only problem is that these functions require angles expressed in radians, not degrees. While radians, a unit of angles, are a legitimate way of measuring angles based on the radius of a circle, they are not something most people work with on a regular basis. To help the average spreadsheet user get around this problem, Excel has the RADIANS function, which makes it easy to convert degrees to radians.
RADIANS Function Syntax and Arguments
A function’s syntax refers to the layout of the function and includes the function’s name, brackets, and arguments. The syntax for the RADIANS function is: The Angle argument is the angle in degrees you want to convert to radians; it can be entered as degrees or as a cell reference to the location of this data in your Excel worksheet.
