Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Deriving a Secant and Cosecant.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 18, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
Excel includes many built-in functions that allow you to use a wide range of trigonometric functions. Two that are not included, however, are functions for determining a secant and a cosecant. Let's assume that an angle value, in radians, is stored in cell B7. If you need to know the secant of the angle, you can use the following formula:
=1/COS(B7)
Likewise, if you need to know the cosecant of the angle, the following formula will do the trick:
=1/SIN(B7)
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (10084) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Deriving a Secant and Cosecant.
Professional Development Guidance! Four world-class developers offer start-to-finish guidance for building powerful, robust, and secure applications with Excel. The authors show how to consistently make the right design decisions and make the most of Excel's powerful features. Check out Professional Excel Development today!
You can use some of Excel's worksheet functions across a range or worksheets, but not all of them. One that has problems ...
Discover MoreEnter a formula (starting with an equal sign) and you may be surprised if Excel doesn’t calculate the formula. Here's a ...
Discover MoreNeed to get at the next-to-last value in a column, regardless of how many cells are used within that column? This tip ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2019-07-22 12:46:34
Gene Osten
Note: I would suggest a check for division for zero. Both SIN(θ) and COS(θ) can have the value zero.
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here:
Comments