xref: /freebsd/lib/msun/man/lgamma.3 (revision 0c43d89a0d8e976ca494d4837f4c1f3734d2c300)
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32.\"     from: @(#)lgamma.3	6.6 (Berkeley) 12/3/92
33.\"	$Id: lgamma.3,v 1.6 1994/01/11 00:46:56 jtc Exp $
34.\"
35.Dd December 3, 1992
36.Dt LGAMMA 3
37.Os BSD 4.3
38.Sh NAME
39.Nm lgamma ,
40.Nm gamma
41.Nd log gamma function, gamma function
42.Sh SYNOPSIS
43.Fd #include <math.h>
44.Ft extern int
45.Fa signgam ;
46.sp
47.Ft double
48.Fn lgamma "double x"
49.Ft double
50.Fn gamma "double x"
51.Sh DESCRIPTION
52.Fn Lgamma x
53.if t \{\
54returns ln\||\(*G(x)| where
55.Bd -unfilled -offset indent
56\(*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
57.br
58\(*G(x) = \(*p/(\(*G(1\-x)\|sin(\(*px))	for x < 1.
59.Ed
60.\}
61.if n \
62returns ln\||\(*G(x)|.
63.Pp
64The external integer
65.Fa signgam
66returns the sign of \(*G(x).
67.Pp
68.Fn Gamma x
69returns \(*G(x), with no effect on
70.Fa signgam .
71.Sh IDIOSYNCRASIES
72Do not use the expression
73.Dq Li signgam\(**exp(lgamma(x))
74to compute g := \(*G(x).
75Instead use a program like this (in C):
76.Bd -literal -offset indent
77lg = lgamma(x); g = signgam\(**exp(lg);
78.Ed
79.Pp
80Only after
81.Fn lgamma
82has returned can signgam be correct.
83.Pp
84For arguments in its range,
85.Fn gamma
86is preferred, as for positive arguments
87it is accurate to within one unit in the last place.
88Exponentiation of
89.Fn lgamma
90will lose up to 10 significant bits.
91.Sh RETURN VALUES
92.Fn Gamma
93and
94.Fn lgamma
95return appropriate values unless an argument is out of range.
96Overflow will occur for sufficiently large positive values, and
97non-positive integers.
98On the
99.Tn VAX,
100the reserved operator is returned,
101and
102.Va errno
103is set to
104.Er ERANGE
105For large non-integer negative values,
106.Fn gamma
107will underflow.
108.Sh SEE ALSO
109.Xr math 3 ,
110.Xr infnan 3
111.Sh HISTORY
112The
113.Nm lgamma
114function appeared in
115.Bx 4.3 .
116The
117.Nm gamma
118function appeared in
119.Bx 4.4 .
120The name
121.Fn gamma
122was originally dedicated to the
123.Fn lgamma
124function, so some old code may no longer be compatible.
125