Understanding Factorials
The factorial of a non-negative integer n, denoted as n!, is the product of all positive integers less than or equal to n. By convention, 0! = 1. Factorials grow extremely rapidly: while 10! = 3,628,800, by 20! the result exceeds 2 quintillion (2.43 × 1018). Factorials are fundamental in combinatorics, probability, and many areas of mathematics.
Factorial Variants and Related Functions
Factorial (n!)
The product of all positive integers from 1 to n. Defined as n! = n × (n-1) × ... × 1.
Double Factorial (n!!)
Product of all positive integers up to n with the same parity (odd or even).
Permutations P(n,r)
The number of ordered arrangements of r items chosen from n distinct items.
Combinations C(n,r)
The number of unordered selections of r items from n distinct items.
Zero Factorial
0! = 1 by convention. This is the empty product and ensures formulas work consistently.
Trailing Zeros
The number of trailing zeros in n! equals the number of times 10 divides n!, which is determined by factors of 5.
Applications of Factorials
Factorials appear throughout mathematics and science: in Taylor series expansions, probability distributions (Poisson, binomial), counting permutations and combinations, calculating derangements, Stirling numbers, and in the gamma function which generalizes factorials to non-integers. They are also central to computational complexity theory.
Common Factorial Values
- 0! = 1 (by definition)
- 1! = 1
- 5! = 120
- 10! = 3,628,800
- 15! = 1,307,674,368,000
- 20! = 2,432,902,008,176,640,000
- Stirling's approximation: n! ≈ sqrt(2πn) × (n/e)n