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Math function

COMBIN

Returns the number of ways to choose k items from n, order not mattering.

OccasionalDifficulty 1250 · ProficientUsage rank #195 of 520
Practice · 3 questions →

When to use it

Number of ways to choose k items from n when order does not matter. Lottery odds, committee counts, pair comparisons.

The shape of it

Syntax
=COMBIN(number, number_chosen)

Worked examples

  • Pairs

    =COMBIN(6,2) → 15

    Pairs from six people.

  • Lottery

    =COMBIN(49,6) → 13983816

    Ways to pick six numbers from 49: the classic lottery odds.

  • Committees

    =COMBIN(10,3) → 120

    Three-person committees from ten.

Worth knowing

  • COMBIN(n,k) equals COMBIN(n,n-k).
  • Use PERMUT when order matters; COMBIN(n,k)*FACT(k) = PERMUT(n,k).
  • COMBINA allows repeats.

Where it goes wrong

  • #NUM! when k is larger than n or either is negative.
  • Non-integers are truncated first.

Related

SUMSUMIFSUMIFSROUNDABSSUMPRODUCT

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