Auf Eulers Spuren zur Gammafunktion. (Deducing the gamma function by tracing Euler's method) (Q1087861): Difference between revisions

When Christian Goldbach drew his attention to the problem of the interpolation of factorials, Euler responded in 1729 by presenting to the St. Petersburg Academy a solution in the form of an infinite product. Having indicated the historical context of this approach to the gamma function, the authors present a detailed account of Euler's derivation of the infinite product and the deduction from this of the integral formula. They emphasize that Euler did not regard his procedure as a trick invented ad hoc for the interpolation of factorials but rather as a general method.