How to Use Trig Functions in Excel

by Steve McDonnell, studioD

Excel has built-in functions for sine and cosine, the two core trigonometric functions, and for hyperbolic sine and hyperbolic cosine, their hyperbolic counterparts. It also has built-in functions for tangent and hyperbolic tangent, even though both can be derived from the core functions. Excel does not provide functions for secant, cosecant or its hyperbolic counterparts, but you can calculate these functions using the core functions. In addition to these trigonometric functions, Excel also provides functions for converting angles between radians and degrees.

Launch Excel and start a new spreadsheet. Enter labels for the data columns in the spreadsheet by typing the labels in the first row. Type "Angle (Degrees)" in A1, "Angle (Radians)" in B1, "Sine" in C1 and "Secant" in D1 (omit the quotation marks here and throughout).

Click in cell A2 and type "0". Click in cell A3 and type "10". Highlight cells A2 and A3 with the mouse and drag the fill handle down to cell A20 to add values of 0 to 180 degrees.

Click in cell B2 to enter the formula for converting the degrees in A2 to radians. Click the "Formulas" tab and click "Math & Trig" button in the Function Library group. Scroll down and select "RADIANS" in the list of functions. Type "A2" in the Angle box and click "OK." Click to highlight cell B2 and drag the fill handle down to cell B20.

Click in cell C2 to use the Sine function. Click the "Math & Trig" button and select "SIN." Enter "A2" in the box labeled Number and click "OK." Drag the fill handle down to cell C20 to display the sine of each angle on the spreadsheet.

Use a mathematical reference to look up the formula for the secant function, which is the inverse of the cosine of an angle (see link in Resources). Click in cell D2 to enter the secant function, which is not an Excel built-in function. Type "=" to begin entering a function into the cell, type "1/" to enter the inverse of a value and type "COS(A2)". Drag the fill handle down to cell D20 to display the secant of each angle on the spreadsheet.

About the Author

Steve McDonnell's experience running businesses and launching companies complements his technical expertise in information, technology and human resources. He earned a degree in computer science from Dartmouth College, served on the WorldatWork editorial board, blogged for the Spotfire Business Intelligence blog and has published books and book chapters for International Human Resource Information Management and Westlaw.

Photo Credits

• Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
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