Pi is a constant used in mathematics whose value is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. This mathematical constant is approximately equivalent to 3.14159 in the normal decimal positional notation. There are lots of formulas in engineering, science and mathematics which involve Pi. Because of this, Pi is one of the most essential constants used in mathematics.

Pi is mostly used by students and even by professionals in their respective fields. Most probably, they find it difficult to solve manually or even with the use of a scientific calculator, some of the mathematical problems or equations which involves Pi. Fortunately, Microsoft Excel features a function which you can use to solve these mathematical equations or problem in your Excel spreadsheet. This Excel function is known as the POWER function. This function is useful if you want to solve mathematical equations which involve Pi in your spreadsheet. The PI function returns the value of the mathematical constant Pi. You are allowed to use the PI function in any mathematical equation usually involves Pi. For instance, if you were to find the area of a circle, you would employ the formula, A = pr^2. But “p” is not recognized by Microsoft Excel as an input. So, instead of using the symbol “p”, you need to use the formula of the PI function. This article will discuss the basic description of this function and you will also be provided with some examples so that it would be easy for you to learn the usage of the PI function. So for you to learn more, read on this article.

Basic Description of the PI function in Microsoft Excel

The PI function in Microsoft Excel returns the numerical value of a constant in mathematics which is Pi (p). The function accurately returns the value with 15 digits containing 14 decimal places (3.14159265358979). The Excel’s PI function has contains no arguments, thus, it only takes a simple formula:

PI ()

Some Examples on the Usage of the PI Function

The following are some examples where you can use the PI function in Excel:

  • For instance, if you enter the PI function formula in cell A1, the function will simply return the result which is the numerical value of the constant p, 3.141592654.
  • If you are solving a trigonometric equation like this, sin (p/2), you can also do that in Excel by using the PI function. For example, in cell A2, you can enter this formula, =SIN (PI ()/2). Then the result will be 1, which is answer of the trigonometric equation, sin (p/2).
  • Moreover, take for instance that you want to solve the circumference of a circle with a radius of 5. The formula for the circumference of the circle is, C = 2pr. You can solve that problem in Excel with the use of the use of the PI function. For example, you can type in this formula in cell A3, =2*PI ()*5. Then the result will be 31.41592654.

It will be easy for you to calculate mathematical equations in Microsoft Excel with the use of the PI function. Because of this function, you will no longer need to type in the exact numerical value of the mathematical constant Pi if you were to solve such problems or equations.