ASIN in SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026: examples and troubleshooting

Arcsine reverses sine within a principal angle range. Mathematically the principal output is between −π/2 and π/2 radians (−90° to 90°). Multiple angles can share the same sine, so ASIN(SIN(angle)) does not always return the original angle outside that range. SoftMaker explicitly documents the argument domain −1 through 1, inclusive, the radian output and a 2026 example ASIN(1)≈1.5708.

Use this function when the quantity being calculated and its units match the mathematical role described. The PlanMaker 2026 function reference is the evidence for the function’s actual PlanMaker name, parameter meaning, and unit conventions. Worked applications are explicitly derived from mathematics; their numeric outputs have not been confirmed by launching PlanMaker.

=ASIN(Number)

No optional parameters and no defaults are documented. The capitalization of the displayed parameter name is not a second function or alias. The English manual lists the function as ASIN; there is no documented alternate English function name on the referenced 2026 or 2024 entry. Start spreadsheet formulas with =. English-language examples use decimal points; decimal separators and function-name translations should be checked in the target installation rather than assumed. As this function takes a single argument, the primary syntax uses no list-separator comma or semicolon. The formula-entry instructions explain using the function dialog to check a local installation. PlanMaker 2026; PlanMaker 2024 (checked 2026-10-13).

Start a blank worksheet. Put each number in column A of the matching row, then enter the B and C formulas as shown. The final column below is an independently computed comparison, not a value read from PlanMaker.

Enter headings in A1:C1, numeric ratios in A2:A7, formulas in B2:B7 and C2:C7. For row 6 the entered decimal is an approximation to √3/2; the expected result is therefore approximately 60°, not an exact symbolic proof. If checking with formulas, compare to a tolerance such as 0.000001 degrees rather than expecting exact floating-point equality.

How to verify: type the inputs as numbers, enter formulas with =, and compare the displayed values with the expectations at sensible precision. Different display formats and finite-precision arithmetic can change the final decimal places. Numeric display formatting does not change whether an angle is radians or degrees. The source formulas and output-unit requirement are documented by SoftMaker ASIN; output values other than the vendor’s explicit example were mathematically calculated independently.

• =ASIN(1) → independently expected 1.57079632679 (independently computed mathematical expectation, not a PlanMaker runtime test).
• =ASIN(-0.5) → independently expected -0.523598775598 (independently computed mathematical expectation, not a PlanMaker runtime test).
• =DEGREES(ASIN(0.5)) → independently expected 30 (independently computed mathematical expectation, not a PlanMaker runtime test).

Estimate a ramp incline from measurements

A ramp rises 1.2 metres over a 2.4-metre ramp surface length, not over a 2.4-metre horizontal run. Put 1.2 in E2, 2.4 in F2, then enter:

=DEGREES(ASIN(E2/F2))

Independently expected incline: arcsin(0.5)=30°. The numerator and denominator must have matching length units, and the measured ramp length is the triangle’s hypotenuse. If 2.4 metres instead represents horizontal run, use ATAN, not this sine formulation.

Ambiguous angle in the law of sines

If sin(A)=0.5, =DEGREES(ASIN(0.5)) returns the principal angle 30°. However, 150° also has sine 0.5 and can be another mathematically valid triangle angle. An ASIN cell alone cannot resolve which geometry applies; use other triangle constraints before reporting a unique angle.

Round-trip is conditional, not globally reversible

=DEGREES(ASIN(SIN(RADIANS(30)))) independently gives 30°. But =DEGREES(ASIN(SIN(RADIANS(150)))) independently gives 30°, not 150°, because the inverse selects its principal branch. This is expected mathematics, not a malfunction of the inverse function.

Guard measured ratios

A sensor that reports 1.0000001 cannot be given directly to ASIN because it lies outside the function’s domain. If the overshoot is only a documented sensor roundoff and your domain rules allow capping, an explicit validated preprocessing step may be appropriate, but do not silently cap actual impossible measurements or assume PlanMaker’s error coercion. Review source data first.

ASIN has exactly one required argument and no optional arguments or defaults. Its mathematical domain includes the endpoints −1 and 1, as the 2026 and 2024 help both state. Exact native error text, nonnumeric coercion, localized function naming and mobile or FreeOffice runtime behaviour remain untested.

PlanMaker’s official 2026 error-values guide identifies #NUM! as an invalid numerical input, #VALUE! as an inappropriate argument type, #NULL! as an invalid formula or function signature, and #DIV/0! as division by zero. These are general documented categories, not claims that each particular formula in this review was executed to observe a particular error display. Never copy an Excel-specific error code into a PlanMaker guide without checking the vendor documentation first. (PlanMaker error values, checked 2026-10-13).

For .xlsx interchange, compare results on representative numeric inputs in both applications before treating a production workbook as validated. No workbook was opened, converted, saved, or executed in either PlanMaker or Excel during this research run.

• Official SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026 ASIN reference — syntax, purpose, and the vendor’s worked example.
• Official SoftMaker PlanMaker 2024 ASIN reference — separate version cross-check.
• Official PlanMaker 2026 SIN — sine — vendor documentation.
• Official PlanMaker 2026 DEGREES — convert radians to degrees — vendor documentation.
• Official PlanMaker 2026 PI — π constant — vendor documentation.
• Official PlanMaker 2026 COS — cosine — vendor documentation.
• Official PlanMaker 2026 ATAN2 — two-coordinate arctangent — vendor documentation.
• PlanMaker 2026 formula-entry help — entering and editing a formula.
• PlanMaker 2026 error-values help — PlanMaker-specific error categories.
• Microsoft Excel ASIN reference — separate vendor’s function documentation.

Reference-check date: 2026-10-13. PlanMaker 2026 and PlanMaker 2024 function pages were reviewed separately, as were the current SoftMaker general help pages and the Microsoft Excel reference. All example values are independently calculated, using elementary mathematical identities and Python’s math routines as appropriate. This is not a native SoftMaker result.

Validation matrix: PlanMaker 2026: 0 native formula executions; PlanMaker 2024: 0; PlanMaker NX: 0; Excel: 0; other editions/platforms: 0; screenshots: 0; Excel import/export checks: 0.