Syntax
BINOMDIST(successes, trials, prob, cumulative)
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| successes | Parameter of the BINOMDIST function. |
| trials | Parameter of the BINOMDIST function. |
| prob | Parameter of the BINOMDIST function. |
| cumulative | Parameter of the BINOMDIST function. |
Examples
Probability of 3 sales from 10 calls
Formula
=BINOMDIST(3, 10, 0.2, FALSE)
Returns ~0.2013. With a 20% conversion rate, there is about a 20% chance of closing exactly 3 out of 10 sales calls.
4 or fewer rainy days in 14
Formula
=BINOMDIST(4, 14, 0.3, TRUE)
Returns ~0.5842. If there is a 30% chance of rain on any given day, there is about a 58% chance of 4 or fewer rainy days in a 2-week period.
All 5 servers staying up
Formula
=BINOMDIST(5, 5, 0.99, FALSE)
Returns ~0.9510. With 99% uptime per server, there is about a 95.1% chance all 5 are running simultaneously.
Common Errors
#NUM!
Successes must be between 0 and trials, and probability must be between 0 and 1.
#VALUE!
Occurs when arguments are non-numeric.
Tips
Migrate to BINOM.DIST
BINOMDIST is the compatibility function maintained for older spreadsheets. Use BINOM.DIST in new work.
Complement trick for 'at least'
P(at least k) = 1 - BINOMDIST(k-1, n, p, TRUE). For example, the probability of at least 3 successes is 1 minus the CDF at 2.
Rule of thumb for large n
When n is large and p is small, the Poisson distribution with mean=n*p is a good approximation, and may be easier to work with.
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