Factorial

Revision as of 12:12, 18 June 2006 by Dschafer (talk | contribs) (Added basic information about factorials)

Definition

An important concept in combinatorics, the factorial is defined for positive integers as $n!=n \cdot (n-1) \cdots 2 \cdot 1$ Alternatively, a recursive definition for the factorial is: $n!=n \cdot (n-1)!$.

Additional Information

By convention, $0!$ is given the value $1$.

The gamma function is a generalization of the factorial to values other than positive integers.

Uses

The factorial is used in the definitions of combinations and permutations, as $n!$ is the number of ways to order $n$ distinct objects.