The exclamation symbol, represented as ‘!’, is used in mathematics to denote a factorial. The factorial of a non-negative integer is the product of all positive integers less than or equal to that number. For example, if we take 5!, it means 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1, which equals 120.
Factorials are commonly used in various areas of mathematics, particularly in permutations, combinations, and in the field of probability. The concept can be extended to 0! as well, which is defined to be 1, as per convention.
To summarize, the exclamation mark in math signifies the factorial operation, which is vital for solving problems involving arrangements and selections.