The notation "8!" represents the factorial of the number 8. Factorial is a mathematical operation that multiplies a whole number by all the positive whole numbers less than it. For example, 8! is calculated as 8 × 7 × 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1, which equals 40,320. Factorials are commonly used in various fields, including combinatorics, probability, and statistics. They help in determining the number of ways to arrange or select items. For instance, if you want to find out how many different ways you can arrange 8 distinct objects, you would use 8!.