Math.asin()

The Math.asin() function returns the arcsine (in radians) of a number, that is

$$\forall x \in [{-1};1],\;\mathtt{\operatorname{Math.asin}(x)} = \arcsin(x) = \text{ the unique } \; y \in \left[-\frac{\pi}{2}; \frac{\pi}{2}\right] \, \text{such that} \; \sin(y) = x$$

The source for this interactive example is stored in a GitHub repository. If you'd like to contribute to the interactive examples project, please clone https://github.com/mdn/interactive-examples and send us a pull request.

Syntax

Math.asin(x)

Parameters

x

A number.

Return value

The arcsine (in radians) of the given number if it's between -1 and 1; otherwise, NaN.

Description

The Math.asin() method returns a numeric value between $-\frac{\pi}{2}$ and $\frac{\pi}{2}$ radians for x between -1 and 1. If the value of x is outside this range, it returns NaN.

Because asin() is a static method of Math, you always use it as Math.asin(), rather than as a method of a Math object you created (Math is not a constructor).

Examples

Using Math.asin()

Math.asin(-2);  // NaN
Math.asin(-1);  // -1.5707963267948966 (-pi/2)
Math.asin(0);   // 0
Math.asin(0.5); // 0.5235987755982989
Math.asin(1);   // 1.5707963267948966 (pi/2)
Math.asin(2);   // NaN

For values less than -1 or greater than 1, Math.asin() returns NaN.

Specifications

Browser compatibility

The compatibility table in this page is generated from structured data. If you'd like to contribute to the data, please check out https://github.com/mdn/browser-compat-data and send us a pull request.

See also

• Math.acos()
• Math.atan()
• Math.atan2()
• Math.cos()
• Math.sin()
• Math.tan()