Purpose
Return value
Syntax
=IMREAL(inumber)
- inumber - A string representing a complex number.
Using the IMREAL function
The IMREAL function returns the real part of a complex number. For example:
=IMREAL("4+3i") // returns 4
Excel handles complex numbers as strings formatted like “x+yi” or “x+yj”. Use the COMPLEX function to get the string representing a complex number.
Explanation
A complex number like “2-5i” is drawn as an arrow in the complex plane, where the horizontal axis corresponds to the real part of the number, and the vertical axis corresponds to the imaginary part.
The IMREAL function returns the real part of the number.
=IMREAL("2-5i") // returns 2
Notes:
- IMREAL returns a #NUM error when the input does not represent a valid complex number.
Purpose
Return value
Syntax
=IMSEC(complex_num)
- complex_num - The complex number in the form “x+yi”.
Using the IMSEC function
The Excel IMSEC function returns the secant of a complex number. For example, given “4+3i” as input the function returns “-0.065294028-0.07522496i” as output.
=IMSEC("4+3i") // returns -0.065294028-0.07522496i
Explanation
In math, the complex secant function is the reciprocal of the complex cosine function .
In Excel, the output of the complex secant function is equivalent to the following formula.
=IMDIV(COMPLEX(1,0),IMCOS(z)) // equivalent to IMSEC(z)
