Excel PERMUT Function

The Excel PERMUT function calculates the number of permutations of a specified number from a given set of number. The permutation is basically the calculation of the number of ways the arrangement of all the items of a set can be made where the order of arrangement is very important.

Figure 1. How to Use the PERMUT Function

Syntax

The syntax for the Excel PERMUT function is;

=PERMUT(number, number_chosen)

Where,

• Number, the argument is the total number of items or events

• Number_chosen, the argument is the number of items in each permutation or arrangement.

Figure 2. The Syntax for the Excel PERMUT Function

Example

Let’s say a company wants to start its operation across the country. The company aims to initiate its operation sequentially for a specified number (Number_Chosen) of locations out of total 10 locations. Because the company the operations will be started sequentially, so the order of arrangements is important and we need to calculate the permutation using the PERMUT function. We will calculate the permutation in column D as per the following formula and copy down to other cells:

=PERMUT(B2,C2)

Figure 3. Applying the PERMUT Function

Notes

• The permutation is closely related to the combination, but in combination, the order is not important.
• If the value of Number or Number_Chosen argument is not an integer, then it is truncated.
• The function returns #NUM! error, If any of the arguments, Number or Number_Chosen, is less than zero “<0”.
• It returns #VALUE! error, if any of the arguments is not a numeric value.

Figure 4. Error Values of the PERMUT Function

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