faculty / factorial
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faculty
A main organizational unit of a university or college that brings together several related academic subjects and institutes.
Er lehrt als Professor an der medizinischen Fakultät der Charité.
He teaches as a professor at the medical faculty of Charité.
Careful: the English word 'faculty' often refers to the teaching staff of a university. The German 'Fakultät' (faculty) is, however, a division or department, not the group of teachers.
Alle Professoren der Fakultät für Physik trafen sich zur Konferenz.
All professors of the faculty of physics met for the conference.
The three meanings are very different and become clear from context. If it is about a university, it means a department or division. In mathematics, it is a calculation operation. If someone is speaking very formally about a person's abilities, the third meaning is intended.
An welcher Fakultät möchten Sie studieren?
Which faculty would you like to study in?
In a university context, the word is almost always combined with a field of study. Common examples are 'juristische Fakultät' (law faculty), 'medizinische Fakultät' (medical faculty), 'wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät' (faculty of economics/business studies), or 'philosophische Fakultät' (faculty of humanities/philosophy).
Sie ist Dekanin der medizinischen Fakultät.
She is dean of the medical faculty.
The mathematical meaning is a technical term. You can recognize it from the context of numbers and formulas. The associated symbol is the exclamation mark (!).
Die Fakultät von 4 (4!) ist 24, denn 1 mal 2 mal 3 mal 4 ist 24.
The factorial of 4 (4!) is 24, because 1 times 2 times 3 times 4 is 24.
The meaning 'Fähigkeit' (ability) is outdated and is now used only in very elevated language, usually in the plural. It often refers to mental abilities.
Trotz seines hohen Alters waren seine geistigen Fakultäten beeindruckend.
Despite his advanced age, his mental faculties were impressive.
university
'Universität' and 'Fakultät' both belong to the world of studying, but they do not mean the same thing. A 'Universität' is the whole institution. A 'Fakultät' is a large part within a university or higher education institution, for example 'die medizinische Fakultät' (the medical faculty) or 'die juristische Fakultät' (the law faculty). Learners may confuse the words because both appear in official names and in the context of university studies. If you are talking about the whole institution, 'Universität' is correct. If you are talking about a specific academic division within that institution, 'Fakultät' fits.
Die Fakultät für Medizin organisiert heute eine Informationsveranstaltung.
The faculty of medicine is organizing an information event today.
Er besucht die Universität jeden Tag mit dem Fahrrad.
He goes to the university by bike every day.