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What starts as an innocent question about why 0! equals 1 quickly spirals into the mathematical abyss of the gamma function. The top panel shows our naive beginning—just a curious mind pondering factorial basics. The bottom panel reveals the mathematical horror show that follows, complete with complex integrals and conditions on the real part of z.
This is the mathematical equivalent of opening Wikipedia to look up a simple fact and finding yourself, three hours later, reading about obscure Romanian folk dances. The gamma function is essentially the factorial function's evil twin that works for non-integer values, and once you start trying to understand it, your brain turns into that screaming skull.
The definition shown (Γ(z) = ∫₀^∞ t^(z-1)e^(-t) dt) is what mathematicians call "elegant." The rest of us call it "the reason we switched majors."
