rel="nofollow" href="#fb3_img_img_578b8401-4a42-579d-8113-bdf81463aad4.png" alt="math"/>. This is by definition. The value of 0! is designated as being 1. This result doesn’t really fit the rule for computing the factorial, but the mathematicians who first described the factorial operation designated that 0! is equal to 1 so that it worked with their formulas involving permutations, combinations, and probability.
Getting the most for your math with the greatest integer
You may have never used the greatest integer function before, but you’ve certainly been its victim. Utility and phone companies and sales tax schedules use this function to get rid of fractional values. Do the fractions get dropped off? Why, of course not. The amount is rounded up to the next greatest integer.
The symbol for the greatest integer function is a set of brackets,
A.
Q. Evaluate:
A.
Q. Evaluate 3!
A.
Q. Evaluate 6!
A.
Q. Evaluate:
A.
Q. Evaluate:
A.
15
16 Determine which is greater:
17 Determine which is greater: 5! or
18 Determine which is greater:
Tackling the Basic Binary Operations
What is a binary operation? A bicycle has two wheels. A biannual term lasts two years. And a binary operation requires two numbers. These operations are performed on two numbers — one written before the operation symbol and one after. Addition and subtraction are pretty familiar, but the multiplication and division symbols come in several varieties.
Adding signed numbers
If you’re on an elevator in a building that has four floors above the ground floor and five floors below ground level, you can have a grand time riding the elevator all day, pushing buttons, and actually “operating” with signed numbers. If you want to go up five floors from the third sub-basement, you end up on the second floor above ground level.
You’re probably too young to remember this, but people actually used to get paid to be elevator operators and push buttons all day. I wonder if these people had to understand algebra first.
Adding like to like: Same-signed numbers
When your first-grade teacher taught you that
Adding positive numbers to positive numbers is just a small part of the whole addition story, but it was enough to get you started at that time. This section gives you the big story — all the information you need to add numbers of any sign. The first thing to consider in adding signed numbers is to start with the easiest situation — when the numbers have the same sign. Look at what happens:
You have three CDs and your friend gives you four new CDs:You now have seven CDs.
You owed Jon $8 and had to borrow $2 more from him:Now you’re $10 in debt.
