COS function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation

What is COS function in Excel?

COS function is one of the Math and Trig functions in Microsoft Excel that returns the cosine of the given angle.

Syntax of COS function

COS(number)

The COS function syntax has the following arguments:

• Number: The angle in radians for which you want the cosine.

COS formula explanation

If the angle is in degrees, either multiply the angle by PI()/180 or use the RADIANS function to convert the angle to radians.

Example of COS function

Steps to follow:

1. Open a new Excel worksheet.

2. Copy data in the following table below and paste it in cell A1

Note: For formulas to show results, select them, press F2 key on your keyboard and then press Enter.

You can adjust the column widths to see all the data, if need be.

Formula	Description	Result
=COS(1.047)	Cosine of 1.047 radians	0.5001711
=COS(60*PI()/180)	Cosine of 60 degrees	0.5
=COS(RADIANS(60))	Cosine of 60 degrees	0.5