The nCr Command

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Command Summary

Calculates the combinatorial number of combinations.

Command Syntax

a nCr b

Menu Location

Press:

1. MATH to access the math menu.
2. LEFT to access the PRB submenu.
3. 3 to select nCr, or use arrows.

Calculator Compatibility

TI-83/84/+/SE

Token Size

1 byte

nCr is the number of combinations function (or binomial coefficient), defined as a nCr b = a!/(b!*(a-b)!), where a and b are nonnegative integers. The function also works on lists.

Tip: nCr has a higher priority in evaluation than operators such as + or *: for example, 5X nCr 10 will be interpreted as 5(X nCr 10) and not as (5X) nCr 10. You might wish to use parentheses around complex expressions that you will give to nCr as arguments.

6 nCr 4
     15

The combinatorial interpretation of a nCr b is the number of ways to choose b objects, out of a total of a, if order doesn't matter. For example, if there 10 possible pizza toppings, there are 10 nCr 3 ways to choose a 3-topping pizza.

Error Conditions

• ERR:DIM MISMATCH is thrown when applying nCr to two lists that have different dimensions.
• ERR:DOMAIN is thrown for negative integers or decimals.

Related Commands

• nPr
• !

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