Why can't I calculate the factorial of a fraction?

[ptc-4451268]

Hello,

I have MathCAD 14, and it won't let me solve for

0.5!

It gives me the error: The function is undefined at one or more of the specified points.

Does anybody have a suggestion?

Thank you!

[Werner_E]

What are you trying to do and why? How would you define factorials for non-integers? And what equation do you have to solve?

Maybe you try the Gamma function 😉

[ptc-4451268]

I am trying to use this taylor series in Mathcad, but i am getting the error:

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=taylor+series+%281-y%29%2Fsqrt%28%282-y%29*y%29

[Werner_E]

Not sure why I can't edit my previous post. The edit and delete options are not offered even though nobody had replied to that post.

Just wanted to ask David if he already had lost interest in the Display of Calculation time - a question he had posed a week ago http://communities.ptc.com/message/240755#240755

[ptc-4451268]

I am trying to enter the series representation of

(1-y) / sqrt( (2-y)*y )

which I found on WolframAlpha.

But it is given to me with a factorial performed on a fraction. Mathcad apparently hates this.

[Werner_E]

I am trying to enter the series representation of

(1-y) / sqrt( (2-y)*y )

which I found on WolframAlpha.

OK, so you are not trying to solve anything.

It is not generally usual to define factorials for decimals. Quite often factorials are defined for postive integers only. Otherwise you would have to use the Gamma-function. Thats the way you have to do it in Mathcad, too.

Of course you can be funny and define your own factorials like here

but I would rather prefer to rewrite Wolframs formula to use the Gamma function instead of the factorials and directly use Mathcad's built-in Gamma function.