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Math function
FACT
Returns the factorial of a number.
Rarely usedDifficulty 1100 · ProficientUsage rank #248 of 520
When to use it
Factorial: the product of all integers from 1 to n. Counts the ways to order n things.
The shape of it
- Syntax
=FACT(number)
Worked examples
Five items
=FACT(5) → 120
5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1.
Zero
=FACT(0) → 1
By definition.
Ten items
=FACT(10) → 3628800
Ways to seat ten people in a row.
Worth knowing
- Permutations of k from n are FACT(n)/FACT(n-k); PERMUT does that directly.
- Above FACT(170) the result overflows; use GAMMALN for large factorials on a log scale.
- Non-integers are truncated.
Where it goes wrong
- #NUM! for negative numbers.
- FACT(171) and above return #NUM!.
Related
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