For negative y-values the function returns a negative angle. An angle is measured from the positive x-axis direction with the positive direction in the counter-clockwise direction and the negative direction in the clockwise direction.
Convert Output to Degrees
To convert the output of the ATAN2 function from radians to degrees the formula is: Alternatively, the degrees formula can be used to convert the angle to degrees.
Difference Between ATAN and ATAN2
For points in the first and fourth quadrant, the ATAN2 function returns identical output to the ATAN function. This relationship is expressed in the formula below: For points in the second and third quadrant, the ATAN function returns the angle relative to the negative x-direction axis.
Dave Bruns
Hi - I’m Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.
