109
Meitnerium is element 109, named after Lise Meitner.
- Odd
- Prime
Where 109 fits
Why 109 is special
Meitner explained nuclear fission in 1939 and was excluded from the Nobel Prize awarded for it. The element is the more durable correction: a name on the periodic table outlasts any prize list, and it is one of very few elements named for a woman.
109 is part of
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (2)
- 1, 109
- Prime factorisation
- 109
- Digit sum
- 10
- Digital root
- 1
Representations
- Decimal
- 109
- Scientific notation
- 1.090 × 10^2
Roman numerals
C I X
CIX uses the subtractive pair IX: one before ten — ten minus one.
Binary
1 1 0 1 1 0 1
1 × 64 + 1 × 32 + 0 × 16 + 1 × 8 + 1 × 4 + 0 × 2 + 1 × 1 = 109
Octal
1 5 5
1 × 64 + 5 × 8 + 5 × 1 = 109
Hexadecimal
6 d
6 × 16 + d × 1 = 109
Read as powers of two: 64 + 32 + 8 + 4 + 1 = 109.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
1 coil of rope, 9 strokes
1 × 100 + 9 × 1 = 109. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
Babylonian
1 vertical wedge (sixties place), 4 corner wedges + 9 vertical wedges (units place)
1 × 60 + 49 = 109. Places are separated by a space on the tablet, with the higher place written first.
Greek (Ionic)
rho, then theta, marked as a numeral
rho-theta + keraia
rho + theta written in descending order and added — the letters carry their values wherever they stand, so this is addition, not place value.
Hebrew numerals
qof, then tet
qof-tet
qof (100) + tet (9) = 109, written in descending order.
Maya
1 bar (upper, twenties place) over 1 bar + 4 dots (lower, units place)
5 × 20 + 9 = 109. Places stack vertically with the smallest at the bottom, so the upper group is worth twenty times the lower.
Systems that simply cannot reach this value are left out. Where a script needs a font most readers do not have, the reading is given instead of the glyphs — see number systems for each system in full.
Other mathematical patterns
- Deficient number
- Happy number
- Twin prime
Related numbers & connections
Bohrium and meitnerium were named in the same 1997 IUPAC settlement that ended thirty years of competing American, Soviet and German discovery claims.
View 107 →Meitnerium is named for Lise Meitner, who explained the 1938 fission result and was omitted from the Nobel Prize awarded for it.
View 1938 →Science
Lise Meitner worked out what Hahn and Strassmann had observed and was left off the Nobel Prize for it. Element 109 carries her name permanently, which is a form of recognition that does not expire and cannot be re-awarded.
DocumentedScience
Common questions
Is 109 a prime number?
Yes, 109 is prime — it has exactly two positive divisors: 1 and itself.
What are the factors of 109?
The factors of 109 are 1, 109.
What is 109 in Roman numerals?
109 in Roman numerals is CIX. IX is subtractive: one before ten — ten minus one. Written additively it would be CVIIII, which Roman inscriptions used freely — the strict subtractive form is a later convention.
About this page's data
Mathematical facts:computed directly from the number's value — nothing to source or verify externally.
Contextual records: 1 reviewer-confirmed record, sourced and reviewed before publication.
Last reviewed: 15 July 2026