Microsoft KB Archive/101456

= Microsoft Knowledge Base =

Excel: Probability Functions Return #NUM! with Large Numbers
Last reviewed: September 12, 1996

Article ID: Q101456

The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 4.0, 4.0a, 5.0
 * Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, version 4.0

In Microsoft Excel version 4.0, probability functions such as PERMUT and COMBIN may return a #NUM! error value if the solution exceeds 9.99999999999999E307, Microsoft Excel's largest allowed positive number. Probability functions that are calculated using factorials can quickly exceed this number.

Other functions that may produce this same error include: BINOMDIST, HYPGEOMDIST, and NEGBINOMDIST. (All of these functions are based on the COMBIN function.)

NOTE: In the HYPGEOMDIST the upper limit of the second argument (number_sample) is 171.