Understanding the \Pi Notation for Calculus Homework | Help and Explanation

[fallen186]

Homework Statement

\Pi_{n=1}^{5} n

Homework Equations

My teacher assumed I learned this in calc 2 but I was never taught this. Can someone tell me what this thing is called?

 

[phyzguy]

It means a "product", like a capital sigma means a "sum", and you interpret it the same way. So this reads, "the product of n, from n=1 to n=5", in other words 1*2*3*4*5, which in this case equals 5!.