120
120 minutes is a football match with extra time.
- Even
- Composite
Where 120 fits
Why 120 is special
Extra time was introduced because knockout competitions need a result. The golden goal and silver goal experiments were both tried and abandoned within six years.
120 connects to:
- numbers in radio and communications — appears in
- 620 — contrasts with
Same number, different meanings
How 120 is understood across different contexts — never implying one meaning because of another.
- Mathematics
Extra time was introduced because knockout competitions need a result. The golden goal and silver goal experiments were both tried and abandoned within six years.
- Everyday life
E120 cochineal is extracted from the scale insect Dactylopius coccus. Its animal origin is not evident from the ingredient name, which is why it recurs in labelling disputes.
- Technology & computing
The nominal mains voltage is 120 volts (North America). Roughly half the European figure, which halves the shock risk and doubles the current needed for the same power — so North American domestic wiring carries heavier cable, and high-draw appliances are given a 240-volt circuit anyway.
- Media & popular culture
Kodak's 120 roll film, introduced in 1901 for a snapshot camera, outlived almost every contemporary format and remains the standard medium format stock for professional and art photography.
- Sport
Extra time takes a knockout match to 120 minutes. Attempts to end it early — the golden goal from 1993 and the silver goal from 2002 — were both withdrawn as they made teams more defensive, not less.
120 is part of
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (16)
- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, 24, 30, 40, 60, 120
- Prime factorisation
- 2^3 × 3 × 5
- Digit sum
- 3
- Digital root
- 3
Representations
- Decimal
- 120
- Scientific notation
- 1.200 × 10^2
Roman numerals
C X X
Binary
1 1 1 1 0 0 0
1 × 64 + 1 × 32 + 1 × 16 + 1 × 8 + 0 × 4 + 0 × 2 + 0 × 1 = 120
Octal
1 7 0
1 × 64 + 7 × 8 + 0 × 1 = 120
Hexadecimal
7 8
7 × 16 + 8 × 1 = 120
Read as powers of two: 64 + 32 + 16 + 8 = 120.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
1 coil of rope, 2 hobbles
1 × 100 + 2 × 10 = 120. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
Babylonian
2 vertical wedges (sixties place), empty units place
2 × 60 + 0 = 120. Places are separated by a space on the tablet, with the higher place written first. The second place is empty, and this is precisely the case the early system could not write unambiguously — the same wedges alone would also read as 1.
Greek (Ionic)
rho, then kappa, marked as a numeral
rho-kappa + keraia
rho + kappa 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 kaf
qof-kaf
qof (100) + kaf (20) = 120, written in descending order.
Maya
1 bar + 1 dot (upper, twenties place) over shell (zero) (lower, units place)
6 × 20 + 0 = 120. 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
- Triangular number
- Abundant number
- Factorial number
- Highly composite number
- Hexagonal number
- Harshad (Niven) number
Related numbers & connections
120 appears in Numbers in radio and communications, the topic covering numbers that carry a documented radio or communications fact.
620 was the same film on a narrower spool, introduced so Kodak cameras would take only Kodak film.
View 620 →Numbers Around Us
- appears inRadio and communications
why?
Strength 0.50, confidence "high".
Other connections
- contrasts with620
why?
Strength 0.50, confidence "high".
Everyday life
E120 cochineal is extracted from the scale insect Dactylopius coccus. Its animal origin is not evident from the ingredient name, which is why it recurs in labelling disputes.
DocumentedEveryday lifeGeography: European Union and states adopting the E number systemPeriod: 1962–
Technology & computing
The nominal mains voltage is 120 volts (North America). Roughly half the European figure, which halves the shock risk and doubles the current needed for the same power — so North American domestic wiring carries heavier cable, and high-draw appliances are given a 240-volt circuit anyway.
DocumentedTechnology & computingGeography: North America
Media & popular culture
Kodak's 120 roll film, introduced in 1901 for a snapshot camera, outlived almost every contemporary format and remains the standard medium format stock for professional and art photography.
DocumentedMedia & popular cultureGeography: InternationalPeriod: 1901–
Sport
Extra time takes a knockout match to 120 minutes. Attempts to end it early — the golden goal from 1993 and the silver goal from 2002 — were both withdrawn as they made teams more defensive, not less.
DocumentedSport
Common questions
Is 120 a prime number?
No, 120 is not prime.
What are the factors of 120?
The factors of 120 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, 24, 30, 40, 60, 120.
What is 120 in Roman numerals?
120 in Roman numerals is CXX.
About this page's data
Mathematical facts:computed directly from the number's value — nothing to source or verify externally.
Contextual records: 4 reviewer-confirmed records, sourced and reviewed before publication.
Last reviewed: 15 July 2026