Cos Function

Returns a Double specifying the cosine of an angle.

Syntax

Cos(number)

Parameters

• number: Required. Double or any valid numeric expression that expresses an angle in radians.

Return Value

Returns a Double representing the cosine of the angle. The return value ranges from -1 to 1.

Remarks

The Cos function takes an angle in radians and returns the ratio of the length of the adjacent side to the length of the hypotenuse in a right triangle. This is a fundamental trigonometric function used in mathematical calculations, graphics programming, physics simulations, and engineering applications.

Important Characteristics:

• Argument is in radians, not degrees
• Return value range: -1 to 1
• Cos(0) = 1
• Cos(π/2) ≈ 0
• Cos(π) = -1
• Cos(3π/2) ≈ 0
• Cos(2π) = 1
• Periodic with period 2π
• Even function: Cos(-x) = Cos(x)

Angle Conversion

To convert degrees to radians (required for Cos):

radians = degrees * (π / 180)
radians = degrees * 0.0174532925199433

To convert radians to degrees:

degrees = radians * (180 / π)
degrees = radians * 57.2957795130823

Common Angle Values

Examples

Basic Usage

' Calculate cosine of an angle in radians
Dim result As Double
result = Cos(0)        ' Returns 1
result = Cos(1.5708)   ' Returns approximately 0 (π/2)
result = Cos(3.14159)  ' Returns approximately -1 (π)

' Using with degrees (convert first)
Dim angleInDegrees As Double
Dim angleInRadians As Double
angleInDegrees = 45
angleInRadians = angleInDegrees * (3.14159265358979 / 180)
result = Cos(angleInRadians)  ' Returns approximately 0.707

Using Pi Constant

Const Pi As Double = 3.14159265358979

Dim angle As Double
angle = Cos(Pi / 4)     ' 45 degrees, returns ≈0.707
angle = Cos(Pi / 2)     ' 90 degrees, returns ≈0
angle = Cos(Pi)         ' 180 degrees, returns -1
angle = Cos(2 * Pi)     ' 360 degrees, returns 1

Degrees to Radians Conversion

Function DegreesToRadians(degrees As Double) As Double
Const Pi As Double = 3.14159265358979
DegreesToRadians = degrees * (Pi / 180)
End Function

Function CosDegrees(degrees As Double) As Double
CosDegrees = Cos(DegreesToRadians(degrees))
End Function

' Usage
Dim result As Double
result = CosDegrees(60)  ' Returns 0.5

Common Patterns

Circle Point Calculation

Function GetCirclePoint(centerX As Double, centerY As Double, _
radius As Double, angleDegrees As Double) As Point
Const Pi As Double = 3.14159265358979
Dim angleRad As Double
Dim pt As Point

angleRad = angleDegrees * (Pi / 180)

pt.X = centerX + radius * Cos(angleRad)
pt.Y = centerY + radius * Sin(angleRad)

GetCirclePoint = pt
End Function

Rotating Points

Function RotatePoint(x As Double, y As Double, angleDegrees As Double) As Point
Const Pi As Double = 3.14159265358979
Dim angleRad As Double
Dim pt As Point

angleRad = angleDegrees * (Pi / 180)

pt.X = x * Cos(angleRad) - y * Sin(angleRad)
pt.Y = x * Sin(angleRad) + y * Cos(angleRad)

RotatePoint = pt
End Function

Wave Generation

Function GenerateCosineWave(samples As Integer, amplitude As Double, _
frequency As Double) As Double()
Const Pi As Double = 3.14159265358979
Dim wave() As Double
Dim i As Integer
Dim angle As Double

ReDim wave(0 To samples - 1)

For i = 0 To samples - 1
angle = 2 * Pi * frequency * i / samples
wave(i) = amplitude * Cos(angle)
Next i

GenerateCosineWave = wave
End Function

Harmonic Motion

Function SimpleHarmonicMotion(amplitude As Double, frequency As Double, _
time As Double) As Double
Const Pi As Double = 3.14159265358979
SimpleHarmonicMotion = amplitude * Cos(2 * Pi * frequency * time)
End Function

Distance Calculation

Function DistanceToLine(px As Double, py As Double, _
angle As Double, distance As Double) As Point
Const Pi As Double = 3.14159265358979
Dim pt As Point
Dim angleRad As Double

angleRad = angle * (Pi / 180)

pt.X = px + distance * Cos(angleRad)
pt.Y = py + distance * Sin(angleRad)

DistanceToLine = pt
End Function

Ellipse Points

Function GetEllipsePoint(centerX As Double, centerY As Double, _
radiusX As Double, radiusY As Double, _
angleDegrees As Double) As Point
Const Pi As Double = 3.14159265358979
Dim angleRad As Double
Dim pt As Point

angleRad = angleDegrees * (Pi / 180)

pt.X = centerX + radiusX * Cos(angleRad)
pt.Y = centerY + radiusY * Sin(angleRad)

GetEllipsePoint = pt
End Function

Polar to Cartesian Conversion

Function PolarToCartesian(radius As Double, angleDegrees As Double) As Point
Const Pi As Double = 3.14159265358979
Dim angleRad As Double
Dim pt As Point

angleRad = angleDegrees * (Pi / 180)

pt.X = radius * Cos(angleRad)
pt.Y = radius * Sin(angleRad)

PolarToCartesian = pt
End Function

Clock Hand Position

Function GetClockHandPosition(centerX As Double, centerY As Double, _
handLength As Double, hours As Integer, _
minutes As Integer) As Point
Const Pi As Double = 3.14159265358979
Dim angle As Double
Dim angleRad As Double
Dim pt As Point

' Calculate angle (12 o'clock = 0 degrees, clockwise)
angle = (hours Mod 12) * 30 + minutes * 0.5  ' 30 degrees per hour
angle = angle - 90  ' Adjust so 0 degrees is at 3 o'clock position

angleRad = angle * (Pi / 180)

pt.X = centerX + handLength * Cos(angleRad)
pt.Y = centerY + handLength * Sin(angleRad)

GetClockHandPosition = pt
End Function

Advanced Usage

3D Rotation (Yaw)

Function RotateYaw(x As Double, y As Double, z As Double, _
angleDegrees As Double) As Point3D
Const Pi As Double = 3.14159265358979
Dim angleRad As Double
Dim pt As Point3D

angleRad = angleDegrees * (Pi / 180)

pt.X = x * Cos(angleRad) - z * Sin(angleRad)
pt.Y = y
pt.Z = x * Sin(angleRad) + z * Cos(angleRad)

RotateYaw = pt
End Function

Fourier Series

Function FourierCosine(x As Double, coefficients() As Double) As Double
Const Pi As Double = 3.14159265358979
Dim result As Double
Dim i As Integer

result = coefficients(0) / 2  ' a0/2 term

For i = 1 To UBound(coefficients)
result = result + coefficients(i) * Cos(i * x)
Next i

FourierCosine = result
End Function

Dot Product Calculation

Function DotProduct(x1 As Double, y1 As Double, _
x2 As Double, y2 As Double) As Double
' Alternative: using angle between vectors
Dim magnitude1 As Double, magnitude2 As Double
Dim angle As Double

magnitude1 = Sqr(x1 * x1 + y1 * y1)
magnitude2 = Sqr(x2 * x2 + y2 * y2)

' Get angle between vectors using Atn2
angle = Atn2(y2, x2) - Atn2(y1, x1)

DotProduct = magnitude1 * magnitude2 * Cos(angle)
End Function

Error Handling

Function SafeCos(angle As Double) As Double
On Error GoTo ErrorHandler

SafeCos = Cos(angle)
Exit Function

ErrorHandler:
' Cos rarely throws errors, but handle overflow
MsgBox "Error calculating cosine: " & Err.Description
SafeCos = 0
End Function

Common Errors

• Error 6 (Overflow): Can occur with extremely large angle values
• Error 13 (Type mismatch): Non-numeric argument

Performance Considerations

• Cos is a native function with good performance
• For repeated calculations with the same angles, cache results
• Consider lookup tables for fixed angle values in performance-critical code
• Reducing angle to [0, 2π] range before calling Cos can improve accuracy

Mathematical Properties

Pythagorean Identity

' Cos²(x) + Sin²(x) = 1
Function VerifyPythagorean(angle As Double) As Boolean
Dim cosSquared As Double, sinSquared As Double
cosSquared = Cos(angle) ^ 2
sinSquared = Sin(angle) ^ 2
VerifyPythagorean = Abs((cosSquared + sinSquared) - 1) < 0.0000001
End Function

Even Function Property

' Cos(-x) = Cos(x)
Function VerifyEvenProperty(angle As Double) As Boolean
VerifyEvenProperty = Abs(Cos(-angle) - Cos(angle)) < 0.0000001
End Function

Angle Addition Formula

' Cos(a + b) = Cos(a)Cos(b) - Sin(a)Sin(b)
Function CosSum(angleA As Double, angleB As Double) As Double
CosSum = Cos(angleA) * Cos(angleB) - Sin(angleA) * Sin(angleB)
End Function

Limitations

• Argument must be in radians (not degrees)
• Very large angles may lose precision due to floating-point limitations
• Return value is always between -1 and 1
• Small rounding errors may occur near critical angles (e.g., π/2)
• For angles outside normal range, consider normalizing to [0, 2π]

Related Functions

• Sin: Returns the sine of an angle (complementary to cosine)
• Tan: Returns the tangent of an angle (Sin/Cos)
• Atn: Returns the arctangent (inverse tangent)
• Acos: Arc cosine (inverse of cosine, not built-in VB6)
• Sqr: Square root function (useful for magnitude calculations)