Exclamation Mark Meaning in Calculus

[peaceandlove]

What does the exclamation mark mean in calculus? For example, a question might ask for the sum of a series ((-1)^n)/n!.

 

[berkeman]

What does the exclamation mark mean in calculus? For example, a question might ask for the sum of a series ((-1)^n)/n!.

In many math applications, it refers to the factorial:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factorial

.