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RADIANS in Calligra Sheets: Convert Degrees to Radians

Trigonometric Beginner Calligra Sheets

Convert an angle measured in degrees into radians before using it with SIN, COS, TAN or other radian-based calculations.

Verification status: Official documentation referenced; example outcomes independently reasoned or arithmetically checked where stated. Not executed in Calligra Sheets. How formula examples are checked

RADIANS in Calligra Sheets

Quick answer

RADIANS: Convert an angle measured in degrees into radians before using it with SIN, COS, TAN or other radian-based calculations. For a first check, see the six-row worksheet below. All shown outputs are expected values independently calculated from the documented mathematical function; they have not been observed in native Calligra Sheets.

What RADIANS does and when to use it

RADIANS changes the unit from degrees to radians by multiplying by π/180. It does not perform any trigonometric evaluation, so use it inside SIN, COS or TAN when the data are in degrees.

The conversion is purely linear: degrees can be negative or greater than 360. Angle wrapping and normalization are separate tasks.

Exact Calligra syntax and arguments

=RADIANS(value)

The official KDE Calligra Sheets function list displays RADIANS(Float) and describes its return value as floating-point. In that notation Float denotes the required numeric input; it is not a keyword to type in a formula. The function takes one required argument, with no documented optional parameters or default values.

  • Argument: angle — required floating-point numeric value or reference measured in degrees; there is no unit flag, optional argument or documented default. The result is a floating-point angle in radians.
  • Mathematical rule: radians = degrees × π / 180.
  • Documented reference example: RADIANS(90) is documented by KDE as approximately 1.5707 radians; independent calculation gives π/2 ≈ 1.570796.
  • Version and scope: This function is listed in the online KDE stable-KF6 handbook (the longer handbook is older than the current application) and separately identified in the recorded Calligra 26.08.2 source registry as func_radians in the trig module. The 26.08.2 KDE Gear release is dated October 8, 2026. Registry presence is release-scoped evidence, not a claim that a particular installed binary has been executed. Platform builds may differ; the Calligra download page focuses on Linux distribution packages/Flatpak and describes Windows work as ongoing.

Formula entry and locale: A formula cell begins with =. The KDE formula editor instructions use a semicolon (;) between arguments of multi-argument functions; RADIANS itself has one argument. This page uses an English-style period for decimal numbers (for example, 0.5). Regional numeric formats, separators and localized display strings can differ; use Insert → Function to inspect the function help in your installed language, and never blindly convert between comma-decimal locales and the examples here.

Reproducible worksheet — six examples

  1. In a blank sheet enter Label, Input, Result in A1, B1 and C1.
  2. For DEGREES, type each formula beginning with = into B2:B7; for the other four functions, type the numeric values in B2:B7. The B column must contain numbers after entry; the examples contain no angle symbols in numeric cells.
  3. Enter =RADIANS(B2) in C2; copy/fill it down to C7, allowing each row reference to update naturally.
  4. Format C2:C7 to six decimals for comparison. The table’s six-digit figures are rounded expectations, not exact binary-floating-point checks.
Row A: Label B: angle in degrees Formula for C Expected C value
2 Clockwise quarter-turn -90 =RADIANS(B2) -1.570796
3 Zero 0 =RADIANS(B3) 0.000000
4 Thirty degrees 30 =RADIANS(B4) 0.523599
5 Forty-five degrees 45 =RADIANS(B5) 0.785398
6 Quarter-turn 90 =RADIANS(B6) 1.570796
7 Straight angle 180 =RADIANS(B7) 3.141593

Check: Compare the inputs row-by-row. If a result differs, verify the numeric cell values, function spelling, formula entry, chosen input units and decimal display precision before concluding the function is wrong. The table’s expected six-decimal values were generated using independent Python math calculations.

Advanced application — Calculate an arc length from a degree input

For a circular arc, arc length = radius × angle in radians. Put the radius 2.5 in E2 and the central angle 72 (degrees) in F2. Put this formula in G2:

=E2*RADIANS(F2)

The independently calculated expected arc length is 3.141593 units (six-decimal display). The source numbers can be changed without rewriting the formula. Do not multiply E2 by F2 directly: F2 is in degrees. Because this is arc length, the output has the same unit as E2 (for example, metres), not degrees or radians. For negative rotations, the calculation produces signed arc displacement; use ABS(...) if a nonnegative distance is desired.

Errors, limitations and troubleshooting

  • Not a trigonometric function: RADIANS converts the unit; it does not calculate a sine or cosine. =SIN(RADIANS(30)) is expected to return about 0.5.
  • No automatic angle normalization: values such as 360 or -450 degrees are meaningful and convert to 2π and -2.5π radians respectively; reduce the angle separately only if the application requires it.
  • Accidental double conversion: RADIANS(PI()/2) incorrectly treats π/2 as degrees; do not wrap values already expressed in radians.
  • Display precision: entering =RADIANS(180) mathematically gives π; show sufficient decimal places rather than expecting a short exact-looking number.
  • Incorrect data type or a pasted ° character: keep B cells numeric; a string like "90°" is not the same as numeric 90. The exact Calligra error for a given text input is not native-tested.
  • Recalculation: if inputs change but results do not, check the recalculation settings cited below.

Excel and LibreOffice Calc compatibility

Microsoft Excel and LibreOffice Calc document RADIANS with the same degree-to-radian mathematical purpose. Excel’s English function documentation uses RADIANS(angle); locale-specific formula separators or localized decimal formats can differ, and no transferred workbook was tested. The equivalent mathematical expression is =B2*PI()/180 if a platform uses another function name.

The equivalent operation and examples are documented in Microsoft Excel help and LibreOffice Calc mathematical-function help. Those sources were checked on 2026-10-11. They establish comparable documented mathematics, not proof of identical parsing, precision, platform support or worksheet import behavior.

Official reference and verification

Verification status: Official documentation checked; example outcomes were independently reasoned or arithmetically checked where applicable. Not executed in Calligra Sheets.

  • No genuine Calligra Sheets screenshots are included; this guide does not use mock application images.