PlanMaker IMARGUMENT: Measure complex direction in radians

The 2026 function reference, 2024 reference and 2021 reference were retrieved and read on October 15, 2026. They establish documented support in those PlanMaker manual families. The original introduction and any last-working-version endpoint remain unverified; 2021 is the oldest reference checked here, not an introduction claim. Specific FreeOffice/mobile builds and every desktop platform were not tested.

The tables combine documented function rules with independent component arithmetic and high-precision mathematical calculations. No native PlanMaker execution, screenshot, export or import test was performed. Complex result components are used where native string formatting is not established. English examples use commas between arguments; adapt locale syntax only after checking the installed editor.

The one required argument is a complex value in the documented x+yi or x+yj format. SoftMaker’s example =IMARGUMENT("2+4i") is displayed as 1.10715 radians. Its independently calculated value is approximately 1.107148718 radians, or 63.434948823°.

Use DEGREES when the desired output is degrees. Do not apply RADIANS to a result already returned in radians, and do not confuse a suffix choice of i versus j with an angular-unit choice.

Create Directions with Real, Imaginary, Complex_value, Radians and Degrees in A1:E1. Fill C2 =COMPLEX(A2,B2), D2 =IMARGUMENT(C2) and E2 =DEGREES(D2) through row 7.

These values are rounded to nine decimals. When comparing recomputed values, use a suitable tolerance rather than demanding equality with rounded targets. The positive-axis controls do not settle the choice between +π and -π on the negative real axis.

Duplicate the sheet and change row 3 from (3,4) to (6,8). D3/E3 remain 0.927295218 radians / 53.130102354°, while the magnitude doubles from 5 to 10. Positive scaling changes length, not direction.

On the original Directions sheet, fill F2 =IMABS(C2), G2 =F2*COS(D2) and H2 =F2*SIN(D2) through row 7. The mathematical expected G/H pairs reproduce A/B: (2,4), (3,4), (4,3), (1,1), (5,0), (0,5).

Do not round D before using it in reconstruction; format its display instead. Compare G−A and H−B with a tolerance such as 0.000000001 for these small controls. On the axes, a tiny computed residual can be ordinary floating-point behavior even though the mathematical component is exactly zero.

In a copy, exchange A3 and B3 so the pair becomes (4,3). Its angle changes to approximately 36.869897646°, demonstrating that reversing coefficient order is not merely a formatting change. The magnitude remains 5, so a magnitude-only audit would not catch the swapped coordinates.

The zero complex number has no unique direction. The short vendor reference does not specify the exact native error for IMARGUMENT(COMPLEX(0,0)); this guide does not invent one. A near-zero vector can also have a direction that is extremely sensitive to small measurement changes.

For values outside the worked quadrant, confirm the target version’s principal-angle interval and signed-axis handling before relying on a particular displayed branch. A simple arctangent of imaginary/real loses quadrant information and cannot divide by a zero real coefficient. These mathematical cautions do not establish an untested PlanMaker branch convention.

Keep the intended coordinate convention explicit. A polar angle from the real axis is not automatically a clockwise compass bearing from north. IMABS supplies magnitude, while IMREAL and IMAGINARY supply the coefficients to inspect when a direction is surprising.

Record the exact product/build, edition, platform, locale and workbook format. Enter the full source table, inspect components and apply the changed-input controls on separate copies. Keep full precision for calculations and round only the display. Saved-file recalculation and destination compatibility require their own tests.