Excel COS Function

Summary

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

Purpose

Get the cosine of an angle

Return value

The cosine value

Syntax

=COS (number)

Arguments

number - The angle in radians for which you want the cosine.

Usage notes

The COS function expects radians. 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))