Final answer:
To store the result of calculating the factorial as an unsigned integer, you would need a specific number of bits depending on the value of n.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the factorial of a number, you need to multiply that number by all of the positive integers less than it. For example, the factorial of 4 (4!) is calculated as 4 * 3 * 2 * 1. The minimum number of bits required to store the result as an unsigned integer would depend on the maximum value of n that you expect to calculate the factorial for.
If you expect to calculate the factorial for values up to n = 12, then the maximum value of 12! is 479,001,600, which can be stored in 29 bits (log2(479,001,600) = 28.888). Therefore, you would need at least 29 bits to store the result as an unsigned integer.
If you expect to calculate the factorial for values up to n = 20, then the maximum value of 20! is 2,432,902,008,176,640,000, which can be stored in 64 bits. Therefore, you would need at least 64 bits to store the result as an unsigned integer.