Permut function

This article describes the formula syntax and usage of the PERMUT function in Microsoft Excel.

Description

Returns the number of permutations for a given number of objects that can be selected from number objects. A permutation is any set or subset of objects or events where internal order is significant. Permutations are different from combinations, for which the internal order is not significant. Use this function for lottery-style probability calculations.

Syntax

PERMUT(number, number_chosen)

The PERMUT function syntax has the following arguments:

• Number    Required. An integer that describes the number of objects.

• Number_chosen    Required. An integer that describes the number of objects in each permutation.

Remarks

• Both arguments are truncated to integers.

• If number or number_chosen is nonnumeric, PERMUT returns the #VALUE! error value.

• If number ≤ 0 or if number_chosen < 0, PERMUT returns the #NUM! error value.

• If number < number_chosen, PERMUT returns the #NUM! error value.

• The equation for the number of permutations is:

  

Example

Copy the example data in the following table, and paste it in cell A1 of a new Excel worksheet. For formulas to show results, select them, press F2, and then press Enter. If you need to, you can adjust the column widths to see all the data.

Data	Description
100	Number of objects
3	Number of objects in each permutation
Formula	Description	R esult
=PERMUT(A2,A3)	Permutations possible for the arguments specified in A2:A3.	970200
=PERMUT(3,2)	Permutations possible for a group of 3 objects where 2 are chosen.	6