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The number e is a mathematical constant approximately equal to 2.71828 that is the base of the natural logarithm and exponential function.It is sometimes called Euler's number, after the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler, though this can invite confusion with Euler numbers, or with Euler's constant, a different constant typically denoted .
The number e (e = 2.718...), also known as Euler's number, which occurs widely in mathematical analysis The number i , the imaginary unit such that i 2 = − 1 {\displaystyle i^{2}=-1} The equation is often given in the form of an expression set equal to zero, which is common practice in several areas of mathematics.
The ubiquity of γ revealed by the large number of equations below and the fact that γ has been called the third most important mathematical constant after π and e [37] [12] makes the irrationality of γ a major open question in mathematics. [2] [38] [39] [32]
In 1840, Liouville published a proof of the fact that e 2 is irrational [10] followed by a proof that e 2 is not a root of a second-degree polynomial with rational coefficients. [11] This last fact implies that e 4 is irrational. His proofs are similar to Fourier's proof of the irrationality of e.
A mathematical constant is a key number whose value is fixed by an unambiguous definition, often referred to by a symbol (e.g., an alphabet letter), or by mathematicians' names to facilitate using it across multiple mathematical problems. [1]
The constant e also has applications to probability theory, where it arises in a way not obviously related to exponential growth. As an example, suppose that a slot machine with a one in n probability of winning is played n times, then for large n (e.g., one million), the probability that nothing will be won will tend to 1/e as n tends to infinity.
It has been shown that both e + π and π/e do not satisfy any polynomial equation of degree and integer coefficients of average size 10 9. [47] [48] At least one of the numbers e e and e e 2 is transcendental. [49] Schanuel's conjecture would imply that all of the above numbers are transcendental and algebraically independent. [50]
One example is an account that starts with $1.00 and pays 100 percent interest per year. If the interest is credited once, at the end of the year, the value is $2.00; but if the interest is computed and added twice in the year, the $1 is multiplied by 1.5 twice, yielding $1.00×1.5 2 = $2.25.