In the 1894 text "Higher Algebra : A sequel to Elementary Algebra for schools" by H.S. Hall and S.R Knight (fourth edition. London: Macmillan and Co. and New York.) They write concerning the product n(n-1)(n-2)...3.2.1 . "It is usual to denote this product by ⎣n which is read 'factorial n'. Also n! is sometimes used for ⎣n" See attached page excerpt.
here:
http://factorielle.free.fr/index_en.html
it is said it was Arbogast, but no specific reference give.
It may help you to further research.
Samuel Arba Mosquera Thanks for the link it was interesting. I'd like to see how or what Arbogast wrote.
I don't think it's Arborgast. It was well known by the time of Pascal, who lived 200 years before.
Florian Cajori's venerable "History of Mathematical Notation" is always a good place to look. He traces the n! notation back to Christian Kramp in 1808, although it took a while to gain acceptance, let alone become standard, especially in the English-speaking world, as your example shows. Cajori has the London Mathematical Society recommending n! in 1915 and thinks the ⎣n notation probably entered the US through Todhunter's books. I don't know if there is more recent research on the topic.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Mathematics