IMARGUMENT in Collabora Office: Measure the Angle of a Complex Value

=IMARGUMENT("ComplexNumber")

ComplexNumber is required and is entered in x+yi or x+yj form, as specified by the vendor. A cell reference containing the complex text can be used in a worksheet formula. The quotation marks are required for a literal string, not around an ordinary cell reference.

IMARGUMENT returns an angle, not the length of the complex value. For 3+4j, the mathematical magnitude is five while its first-quadrant angle is about 0.927295 radians. These are separate summaries of the same two components.

The short dedicated section does not explicitly enumerate the full branch interval or zero-input behavior. The worked examples use positive real and imaginary components, avoiding branch-cut and zero-vector ambiguity.

Enter the first column into A2:A5 as text. In B2 use =IMARGUMENT(A2) and fill down.

These independently calculated angles use the mathematical direction of each complex value. The first agrees with Collabora’s documented rounded control. They are not fresh native outputs or a certification of exact final digits.

The two values 4+3j and 8+6j have the same direction because both components are multiplied by two. Their magnitudes differ, but their component ratio stays the same.

With the radian result in B2, enter =DEGREES(B2) in C2 and fill down. The independent degree expectations are approximately 53.130102354, 36.869897646, 45, and 36.869897646.

DEGREES changes angle units. It does not change the underlying complex value or its direction. Do not label the raw value 0.927295 as degrees; doing so understates the angle dramatically.

Keep the numeric radians available if downstream trigonometric formulas require them. A formatted degree label is a presentation choice, not a new native unit mode for IMARGUMENT.

For P=3+4j and Q=4+3j, the independent angle difference is approximately 0.283794109208 radians, or 16.260204708°. A worksheet expression is:

=IMARGUMENT("3+4j")-IMARGUMENT("4+3j")

Both values have magnitude five, so their difference is entirely directional in this comparison. IMABS can inspect magnitude while IMARGUMENT inspects angle.

This direct subtraction is deliberately confined to nearby first-quadrant angles. It is not a general wrapped-angle algorithm across a branch cut. Do not interpret every raw angle difference as the shortest rotation without checking the angle convention.

For 3+4j, the independent tangent of its angle is 4/3, approximately 1.333333333. Using =TAN(B2) should match that ratio within numerical tolerance for this first-quadrant control. TAN is a useful mathematical consistency check here.

The ratio alone loses quadrant information in a general complex plane. Therefore, a handwritten arctangent of imaginary/real is not automatically a complete replacement for a complex argument function, especially with negative or zero real components.

Use the documented i or j complex-text notation and keep the original values visible. A plain string that merely resembles a complex value can be malformed; the dedicated section does not provide a complete text/coercion/error matrix.

The guide does not establish native handling of the zero complex number, negative-real-axis branch choices, overflow, or every accepted string spelling. First-quadrant controls explain the practical distinction between phase and magnitude without claiming unsupported boundary behavior or cross-product equivalence.

The exact function is documented in Collabora Office 26.04 desktop help, retrieved and reviewed on October 17, 2026. This establishes a documentation scope, not the first release that introduced the function or the last version in which it works; those versions and any retirement date remain unestablished. Collabora Online and mobile support are not inferred from desktop help, nor is behavior in another spreadsheet product.

The examples are documentation-based expectations with independent calculations. They have not been executed in Collabora Office. No application screenshot or native error/coercion certification is implied. Formulas use English function names and semicolon argument separators.

• Collabora Office 26.04: IMARGUMENT (checked October 17, 2026).
• Editorial testing standards.