Auf Eulers Spuren zur Gammafunktion. (Deducing the gamma function by tracing Euler's method) (Q1087861)

When Christian Goldbach drew his attention to the problem of the interpolation of factorials, Euler responded in 1729 by presenting to the St. Petersburg Academy a solution in the form of an infinite product. Having indicated the historical context of this approach to the gamma function, the authors present a detailed account of Euler's derivation of the infinite product and the deduction from this of the integral formula. They emphasize that Euler did not regard his procedure as a trick invented ad hoc for the interpolation of factorials but rather as a general method.