BINOM.INV Function (LibreOffice Calc)
The BINOM.INV function returns the smallest integer x such that the cumulative binomial distribution is greater than or equal to a given probability. It is used for quantile calculations, quality control thresholds, and reliability modeling.
Compatibility
▾| Excel | ✔ |
| Gnumeric | ✔ |
| Google_sheets | ✔ |
| Libreoffice | ✔ |
| Numbers | ✖ |
| Onlyoffice | ✔ |
| Openoffice | ✖ |
| Wps | ✔ |
| Zoho | ✔ |
What the BINOM.INV Function Does ▾
- Computes the quantile of a binomial distribution
- Finds the smallest x where CDF ≥ probability
- Useful for thresholding, acceptance sampling, and reliability modeling
- Inverts BINOM.DIST to determine required success counts
Syntax ▾
BINOM.INV(trials; probability_s; alpha)
Arguments
-
trials:
Number of trials (integer ≥ 0). -
probability_s:
Probability of success on each trial (0–1). -
alpha:
Target cumulative probability (0–1).
Basic Examples ▾
Find the smallest x such that P(X ≤ x) ≥ 0.5
=BINOM.INV(10; 0.5; 0.5)
Find the 95th percentile of a binomial distribution
=BINOM.INV(20; 0.3; 0.95)
Using cell references
=BINOM.INV(A1; B1; C1)
Advanced Examples ▾
Quality control: maximum acceptable defects
=BINOM.INV(100; 0.01; 0.95)
Reliability: threshold for failure probability
=BINOM.INV(n; p; 0.99)
Compute two‑sided confidence interval
=BINOM.INV(n; p; 0.975) - BINOM.INV(n; p; 0.025)
A/B testing: minimum successes to exceed probability threshold
=BINOM.INV(trials; p; 0.9)
Validate inversion using BINOM.DIST
=BINOM.DIST(BINOM.INV(n; p; α); n; p; TRUE)
Compute quantile for rare‑event approximation
=BINOM.INV(n; p; α)
Edge Cases and Behavior Details ▾
BINOM.INV returns an integer between 0 and trials
Accepts:
- Integer trials
- 0 ≤ probability_s ≤ 1
- 0 ≤ alpha ≤ 1
Behavior details
- If alpha = 0 → returns 0
- If alpha = 1 → returns trials
- Quantile is the smallest x where CDF ≥ alpha
- Equivalent to scanning cumulative probabilities until threshold is reached
Invalid input → Err:502
BINOM.INV of an error → error propagates
Common Errors and Fixes ▾
Err:502 — Invalid argument
Cause:
- Non-integer trials
- probability_s or alpha outside 0–1
- Non-numeric input
Fix:
- Wrap with INT()
- Clamp probability_s and alpha to [0,1]
- Validate numeric input
Unexpected quantile values
Cause:
- Misinterpreting CDF vs. PMF
- alpha too small or too large
Fix:
- Confirm alpha definition
- Use BINOM.DIST to inspect CDF
Best Practices ▾
- Use BINOM.INV for threshold and quantile calculations
- Validate integer inputs
- Use BINOM.DIST to verify cumulative behavior
- Use BINOM.DIST.RANGE for multi‑value probabilities
- Use POISSON.DIST for rare‑event approximations
BINOM.INV is essential for quality control, reliability thresholds, and any model requiring binomial quantiles or acceptance criteria.
Related Patterns and Alternatives ▾
- Use BINOM.DIST for PMF/CDF
- Use BINOM.DIST.RANGE for multi‑value ranges
- Use POISSON.DIST for rare‑event approximations
- Use NORMINV for normal‑approximation quantiles
By mastering BINOM.INV, you can build precise, reliable statistical and probability‑driven models in LibreOffice Calc.