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Math function

PI

Returns the value of pi.

CommonDifficulty 900 · CapableUsage rank #152 of 520
Practice · 2 questions →

When to use it

Returns pi to full double precision. Takes no arguments but still needs the parentheses.

The shape of it

Syntax
=PI()

Worked examples

  • The constant

    =PI() → 3.141592654

    Displayed to 9 decimals; stored to 15.

  • Circle area

    =PI()*5^2 → 78.53981634

    Area of a circle with radius 5.

  • Circumference

    =2*PI()*10 → 62.83185307

    Circumference with radius 10.

Worth knowing

  • Never type 3.14; PI() is exact and self-documenting.
  • Trig functions want radians: RADIANS(deg) is deg*PI()/180.
  • PI() alone in a cell is a handy check that a sheet is calculating.

Where it goes wrong

  • =PI without the parentheses returns #NAME?.
  • Rounded copies of pi in old sheets cause small mismatches against PI().

Related

SUMSUMIFSUMIFSROUNDABSSUMPRODUCT

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