Is log(n!) = Θ(n·log(n))?

Question

Remember that

log(n!) = log(1) + log(2) + ... + log(n-1) + log(n)

You can get the upper bound by

log(1) + log(2) + ... + log(n) <= log(n) + log(n) + ... + log(n)
                                = n*log(n)

And you can get the lower bound by doing a similar thing after throwing away the first half of the sum:

log(1) + ... + log(n/2) + ... + log(n) >= log(n/2) + ... + log(n) 
                                       = log(n/2) + log(n/2+1) + ... + log(n-1) + log(n)
                                       >= log(n/2) + ... + log(n/2)
                                        = n/2 * log(n/2) 

I realize this is a very old question with an accepted answer, but none of these answers actually use the approach suggested by the hint.

It is a pretty simple argument:

n! (= 1*2*3*...*n) is a product of n numbers each less than or equal to n. Therefore it is less than the product of n numbers all equal to n; i.e., n^n.

Half of the numbers -- i.e. n/2 of them -- in the n! product are greater than or equal to n/2. Therefore their product is greater than the product of n/2 numbers all equal to n/2; i.e. (n/2)^(n/2).

Take logs throughout to establish the result.

Sorry, I don't know how to use LaTeX syntax on stackoverflow..

See Stirling's Approximation:

ln(n!) = n*ln(n) - n + O(ln(n))

where the last 2 terms are less significant than the first one.

For lower bound,

lg(n!) = lg(n)+lg(n-1)+...+lg(n/2)+...+lg2+lg1
       >= lg(n/2)+lg(n/2)+...+lg(n/2)+ ((n-1)/2) lg 2 (leave last term lg1(=0); replace first n/2 terms as lg(n/2); replace last (n-1)/2 terms as lg2 which will make cancellation easier later)
       = n/2 lg(n/2) + (n/2) lg 2 - 1/2 lg 2
       = n/2 lg n - (n/2)(lg 2) + n/2 - 1/2
       = n/2 lg n - 1/2

lg(n!) >= (1/2) (n lg n - 1)

Combining both bounds :

1/2 (n lg n - 1) <= lg(n!) <= n lg n

By choosing lower bound constant greater than (1/2) we can compensate for -1 inside the bracket.

Thus lg(n!) = Theta(n lg n)