xref: /freebsd/lib/msun/man/lgamma.3 (revision 46d7c2979ef66b28bbe1d5e3db922f3b47784ccd)

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.\"     from: @(#)lgamma.3	6.6 (Berkeley) 12/3/92
.\" $FreeBSD$
.\"
.Dd December 3, 1992
.Dt LGAMMA 3
.Os
.Sh NAME
.Nm lgamma ,
.Nm lgammaf ,
.Nm gamma ,
.Nm gammaf ,
.Nm tgamma
.Nd log gamma functions, gamma function
.Sh LIBRARY
.Lb libm
.Sh SYNOPSIS
.In math.h
.Ft extern int
.Fa signgam ;
.sp
.Ft double
.Fn lgamma "double x"
.Ft float
.Fn lgammaf "float x"
.Ft double
.Fn gamma "double x"
.Ft float
.Fn gammaf "float x"
.Ft double
.Fn tgamma "double x"
.Sh DESCRIPTION
.Fn lgamma x
and
.Fn lgammaf x
.if t \{\
return ln\||\(*G(x)| where
.Bd -unfilled -offset indent
\(*G(x) = \(is\d\s8\z0\s10\u\u\s8\(if\s10\d t\u\s8x\-1\s10\d e\u\s8\-t\s10\d dt	for x > 0 and
.br
\(*G(x) = \(*p/(\(*G(1\-x)\|sin(\(*px))	for x < 1.
.Ed
.\}
.if n \
return ln\||\(*G(x)|.
.Pp
The external integer
.Fa signgam
returns the sign of \(*G(x).
.Pp
.Fn gamma
and
.Fn gammaf
are deprecated aliases for
.Fn lgamma
and
.Fn lgammaf ,
respectively.
.Fn tgamma x
returns \(*G(x), with no effect on
.Fa signgam .
.Sh IDIOSYNCRASIES
Do not use the expression
.Dq Li signgam\(**exp(lgamma(x))
to compute g := \(*G(x).
Instead use a program like this (in C):
.Bd -literal -offset indent
lg = lgamma(x); g = signgam\(**exp(lg);
.Ed
.Pp
Only after
.Fn lgamma
or
.Fn lgammaf
has returned can signgam be correct.
.Pp
For arguments in its range,
.Fn tgamma
is preferred, as for positive arguments
it is accurate to within one unit in the last place.
Exponentiation of
.Fn lgamma
will lose up to 10 significant bits.
.Sh RETURN VALUES
.Fn gamma ,
.Fn gammaf ,
.Fn lgamma ,
and
.Fn lgammaf
return appropriate values unless an argument is out of range.
Overflow will occur for sufficiently large positive values, and
non-positive integers.
On the
.Tn VAX ,
the reserved operator is returned,
and
.Va errno
is set to
.Er ERANGE .
For large non-integer negative values,
.Fn tgamma
will underflow.
.Sh SEE ALSO
.Xr math 3
.Sh STANDARDS
The
.Fn lgamma
and
.Fn tgamma
functions are expected to conform to
.St -isoC-99 .
.Sh HISTORY
The
.Fn lgamma
function appeared in
.Bx 4.3 .
The
.Fn gamma
function appeared in
.Bx 4.4
as a function which computed \(*G(x).
This version was used in
.Fx 1.1 .
The name
.Fn gamma
was originally dedicated to the
.Fn lgamma
function,
and that usage was restored by switching to Sun's fdlibm in
.Fx 1.1.5 .
The
.Fn tgamma
function appeared in
.Fx 5.0 .