About Math.cos

Can somebody PLEASE break every piece of Math.sin down for me?
I saw it in the snow tutorial and have been vigorously trying to figure it out.
What determines how hard a snow flake is swaying?
What determines how fast it sways?
Does it try to sway a certain distance within a certain time limit?
help :frowning:

k = -Math.PI+Math.random()*Math.PI;
rad += (k/180)*Math.PI;
this._x -= Math.cos(rad);

why k/180?