"""Relative errors for factorial estimates; opaque PNG written to CWD. Python 3.14.4, NumPy 2.3.5, Matplotlib 3.10.7. """ from math import exp, factorial, log, pi from pathlib import Path import matplotlib.pyplot as plt import numpy as np def main(): n = np.arange(1, 101) log_s = 0.5 * np.log(2 * pi * n) + n * (np.log(n) - 1) # The reference is the exact integer factorial, rather than a second # asymptotic approximation or a gamma-library approximation. log_exact = np.array([log(factorial(int(k))) for k in n]) leading = np.abs(np.expm1(log_s - log_exact)) corrected = np.abs(np.expm1(log_s + np.log1p(1 / (12 * n)) - log_exact)) assert np.all(corrected < leading) assert np.isclose(leading[9], 0.008295960443936, atol=1e-12) fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(8.2, 4.8), dpi=130) fig.patch.set_facecolor("white") ax.set_facecolor("white") ax.loglog(n, leading, color="#2768a6", lw=2.3, label=r"Leading estimate $S_n$") ax.loglog(n, corrected, color="#238367", lw=2.3, label=r"Corrected estimate $S_n(1+1/(12n))$") ax.scatter([10], [leading[9]], color="#2768a6", zorder=4) ax.scatter([10], [corrected[9]], color="#238367", zorder=4) ax.annotate("n = 10: 0.830%", (10, leading[9]), (2, 0.02), arrowprops={"arrowstyle": "->", "color": "#2768a6"}, color="#2768a6", fontsize=11) ax.annotate("n = 10: 0.003176%", (10, corrected[9]), (2, 2e-6), arrowprops={"arrowstyle": "->", "color": "#238367"}, color="#238367", fontsize=11) ax.set(xlim=(1, 100), ylim=(1e-7, 0.15), xlabel="Positive integer n", ylabel=r"Relative error $|\mathrm{estimate}/n!-1|$", title="A first correction substantially improves Stirling's formula") ax.legend(loc="upper right", frameon=False, fontsize=10) ax.grid(which="both", alpha=0.15) ax.spines[["top", "right"]].set_visible(False) fig.tight_layout() fig.savefig(Path.cwd() / Path(__file__).with_suffix(".png").name, facecolor="white") plt.close(fig) if __name__ == "__main__": main()