BINOMDIST Function (LibreOffice Calc — Legacy)
The BINOMDIST function returns either the probability mass function (PMF) or cumulative distribution function (CDF) of a binomial distribution. This is the legacy version of BINOM.DIST, preserved for compatibility with older spreadsheets.
Compatibility
▾| Excel | ✔ |
| Gnumeric | ✔ |
| Google_sheets | ✔ |
| Libreoffice | ✔ |
| Numbers | ✖ |
| Onlyoffice | ✔ |
| Openoffice | ✔ |
| Wps | ✔ |
| Zoho | ✔ |
What the BINOMDIST Function Does ▾
- Computes P(X = k) (PMF)
- Computes P(X ≤ k) (CDF)
- Models success/failure processes
- Fully replaced by BINOM.DIST, but still supported
Syntax ▾
BINOMDIST(number_s; trials; probability_s; cumulative)
Arguments
-
number_s:
Number of successes (integer ≥ 0). -
trials:
Number of trials (integer ≥ 0). -
probability_s:
Probability of success on each trial (0–1). -
cumulative:
TRUE → cumulative distribution (CDF)
FALSE → probability mass function (PMF)
Basic Examples ▾
PMF: Probability of exactly 4 successes
=BINOMDIST(4; 12; 0.3; FALSE)
CDF: Probability of 4 or fewer successes
=BINOMDIST(4; 12; 0.3; TRUE)
Using cell references
=BINOMDIST(A1; B1; C1; D1)
Advanced Examples ▾
Quality control: probability of ≤ 2 defects
=BINOMDIST(2; 100; 0.01; TRUE)
Reliability: probability of exactly k failures
=BINOMDIST(k; n; p; FALSE)
Compute probability of a range (a ≤ X ≤ b)
=BINOMDIST(b; n; p; TRUE) - BINOMDIST(a-1; n; p; TRUE)
Tail probability (X > k)
=1 - BINOMDIST(k; n; p; TRUE)
Manual PMF equivalent
=COMBIN(n; k) * p^k * (1-p)^(n-k)
Compare legacy vs modern
=BINOMDIST(k; n; p; TRUE) = BINOM.DIST(k; n; p; TRUE)
Edge Cases and Behavior Details ▾
BINOMDIST returns a numeric probability between 0 and 1
Accepts:
- Integer number_s
- Integer trials
- 0 ≤ probability_s ≤ 1
Behavior details
- If number_s > trials → returns 0
- If probability_s = 0 → PMF returns 1 only when number_s = 0
- If probability_s = 1 → PMF returns 1 only when number_s = trials
- CDF is always non‑decreasing
- Function is deprecated but still works
Invalid input → Err:502
BINOMDIST of an error → error propagates
Common Errors and Fixes ▾
Err:502 — Invalid argument
Cause:
- number_s or trials not integers
- probability_s outside 0–1
- Non-numeric input
Fix:
- Wrap with INT()
- Clamp probability_s to [0,1]
- Validate numeric input
Confusion between legacy and modern versions
Cause:
- BINOMDIST vs BINOM.DIST differences
Fix:
- Prefer BINOM.DIST for new models
- Use BINOMDIST only for compatibility
Best Practices ▾
- Use BINOM.DIST for all new spreadsheets
- Use BINOMDIST only when maintaining legacy files
- Validate integer inputs
- Use BINOM.DIST.RANGE for multi‑value ranges
- Use BINOM.INV for quantile calculations
BINOMDIST is fully supported but considered legacy — use BINOM.DIST for modern, standards‑compliant statistical modeling.
Related Patterns and Alternatives ▾
- Use BINOM.DIST for modern PMF/CDF
- Use BINOM.DIST.RANGE for multi‑value ranges
- Use BINOM.INV for inverse binomial distribution
- Use POISSON.DIST for rare‑event approximations
By understanding BINOMDIST, you can maintain compatibility with older spreadsheets while building modern statistical workflows in LibreOffice Calc.