Noun
gamma function (plural gamma functions)
(mathematical analysis) A meromorphic function which generalizes the notion of factorial to complex numbers and has singularities at the nonpositive integers; any of certain generalizations or analogues of said function, such as extend the factorial to domains other than the complex numbers.
19th–20th centuries: characterizing the gamma function It is somewhat problematic that a large number of definitions have been given for the gamma function. Source: Internet
19th century: Gauss, Weierstrass and Legendre The first page of Euler's paper Carl Friedrich Gauss rewrote Euler's product as : and used this formula to discover new properties of the gamma function. Source: Internet
A definite and generally applicable characterization of the gamma function was not given until 1922. Source: Internet
A hand-drawn graph of the absolute value of the complex gamma function, from Tables of Higher Functions by Jahnke and Emde. Source: Internet
Although the symbol is an upper-case Greek gamma, there is no accepted standard for whether the function name should be written "gamma function" or "Gamma function" (some authors simply write " -function"). Source: Internet
Applications One author describes the gamma function as "Arguably, the most common special function, or the least 'special' of them. Source: Internet