How to use the tangent function in Excel (TAN)

The tangent function is a trigonometric function whose formula is: is the ratio of the opposite leg to the adjacent leg of a right triangle.

In this article we explain it how to use tangent function in excel fast and easy. Likewise, it describes how to perform the calculation, both in degrees and radians.

In a direct way

To use the TAN function in Excel directly, you just need to follow these steps:

1. Open Excel and choose “blank book†
2. Enter all the content you want to calculate† Leave a blank row or column for calculations.
3. In the empty cell, write the following formula: †=SO(†
4. Click on the data to calculate and close parentheses† Then press "Enter†

Remark: This procedure is recommended when the angles are expressed directly in radians. If they are expressed in degrees, you have to use another formula mentioned later.

using formulas

There is another method to apply the TAN function in Excel and that is by using the program's formulas. To do this, you need to follow these steps:

1. Open Excel and place yourself on the cell in which you are going to perform the calculation†
2. Click on the "formulas†
3. Click on "Mathematics and Trigonometry†
4. Click on the option “SO†
5. Click on the angle expressed in radians and press "Enter" or "OK" to see the result.

Convert degrees to radians

For the calculation of the tangent, the angles to be used must be expressed in radians. If not, use the following conversion formula:

1. Open Excel and move over the empty cell†
2. Write the following "=SO(RADIANS(†
3. Click on the cell that expresses the angles in degrees and close parentheses twice.
4. Press "Enter† Gets the instant result by doing the corresponding double calculation.

Remark: Another less direct alternative to converting degrees to radians is to use the formula “=TAN(DEGREES*PI ()/180)”. Therefore, if the degrees are 45, the equation would be "=TAN(45*PI ()/180)".

In short, there are several practical methods to use the tangent function in Excel.