Questions about the world of GMAT Math from other sources and general math related questions.
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product of first n numbers

by Guest Sun Jul 13, 2008 12:57 am

HI,

Does anyone know how to find the product of first n numbers ? I mean is there a formula for it..


Also a general question, why do websites normally ask to fill in the confirmation code? I have seen it in many places but dont get the logic behind it..
rfernandez
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by rfernandez Fri Jul 18, 2008 3:50 pm

The product of integers 1 to n can be expressed as a factorial: n!

There might be a formula for this, but my guess is that it's probably very cumbersome and not practical for the GMAT.

When factorials come up on the GMAT, it's usually possible to cancel common factors to make the arithmetic easier. In cases when you get large factorials and you cannot cancel them, the problem can probably be solved by some means other than evaluating the number.

Not sure what you mean by your second question.