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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!alberta!cavell!mouli
From: mouli@cavell.UUCP (Bopsi ChandraMouli)
Newsgroups: net.puzzle
Subject: Re: Derivative of x! and actual interviews
Message-ID: <383@cavell.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 29-Mar-85 17:09:17 EST
Article-I.D.: cavell.383
Posted: Fri Mar 29 17:09:17 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 31-Mar-85 03:27:41 EST
References: <1337@decwrl.UUCP>
Reply-To: mouli@cavell.UUCP (Bopsi Chandramouli)
Organization: U. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB
Lines: 25
Summary: 

In article <1337@decwrl.UUCP> joel@decwrl.UUCP (Joel McCormack) writes:

>So why the original heading?  Did whomever posted the original question
>REALLY think it would help separate the programmers from the hackers, or
>engineers from tinkerers, or whatever?
>
If we forget about the gamma function(of which
I never thought about when I posted the question) then the answer
to the question does not need any digging into the books.
The necessary and sufficient condition
for the derivative of a function to be defined is that the
function should be continuous(and x! is not). Answering this question on the
fly requires JUST clear thinking and good understanding of the
fundamentals of what one has learnt before. Irrespective of what
the job is, these two are good qualities(in addition to others)
that the employer would expect from prospective employees.

Thus the question on derivative of x!(and other questions of similar nature)
serves that important purpose in an interview.  

By the way, I am still strugging with the derivative of the gamma
function. Has anyone managed to get that?  If so, please post.

Bopsi Chandramouli.
ihnp4!alberta!cavell!mouli