1200
1,200 bits per second was the modem speed that made online services usable.
- Even
- Composite
Where 1200 fits
Why 1200 is special
At 1,200 baud text arrived faster than most people read, which is the threshold where a terminal session stops feeling like waiting. Bulletin board systems became practical at this speed.
Same number, different meanings
How 1200 is understood across different contexts — never implying one meaning because of another.
- Mathematics
At 1,200 baud text arrived faster than most people read, which is the threshold where a terminal session stops feeling like waiting. Bulletin board systems became practical at this speed.
- History
In 1200, Philip Augustus chartered the University of Paris, giving its masters legal standing (France).
- Technology & computing
1,200 bps delivers characters faster than a person reads them, which is the point at which an interactive session stops being dominated by waiting. Bulletin boards and online services became viable there.
1200 is part of
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (30)
- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 16, 20, 24, 25, 30, 40, 48, 50, 60, 75, 80, 100, 120, 150, 200, 240, 300, 400, 600, 1200
- Prime factorisation
- 2^4 × 3 × 5^2
- Digit sum
- 3
- Digital root
- 3
Representations
- Decimal
- 1200
- Scientific notation
- 1.200 × 10^3
Roman numerals
M C C
Binary
1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
1 × 1,024 + 0 × 512 + 0 × 256 + 1 × 128 + 0 × 64 + 1 × 32 + 1 × 16 + 0 × 8 + 0 × 4 + 0 × 2 + 0 × 1 = 1,200
Octal
2 2 6 0
2 × 512 + 2 × 64 + 6 × 8 + 0 × 1 = 1,200
Hexadecimal
4 b 0
4 × 256 + b × 16 + 0 × 1 = 1,200
Read as powers of two: 1,024 + 128 + 32 + 16 = 1,200.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
1 lotus, 2 coils of rope
1 × 1,000 + 2 × 100 = 1,200. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
Babylonian
2 corner wedges (sixties place), empty units place
20 × 60 + 0 = 1200. 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.
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
- Abundant number
- Harshad (Niven) number
Related numbers & connections
1200 is a year in the 12th century, in the 1200s.
1,200 bits per second made an interactive terminal session tolerable and 2,400 doubled it. 2,400 still appears as a default in industrial control equipment decades later.
View 2400 →Numbers Around Us
- appears inHistorical years
why?
Strength 0.50, confidence "high".
Other connections
- developed from2400
why?
Strength 0.50, confidence "high".
History
In 1200, Philip Augustus chartered the University of Paris, giving its masters legal standing (France).
DocumentedHistoryGeography: FrancePeriod: 1200
Technology & computing
1,200 bps delivers characters faster than a person reads them, which is the point at which an interactive session stops being dominated by waiting. Bulletin boards and online services became viable there.
DocumentedTechnology & computing
Common questions
Is 1200 a prime number?
No, 1200 is not prime.
What are the factors of 1200?
The factors of 1200 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 16, 20, 24, 25, 30, 40, 48, 50, 60, 75, 80, 100, 120, 150, 200, 240, 300, 400, 600, 1200.
What is 1200 in Roman numerals?
1200 in Roman numerals is MCC.
About this page's data
Mathematical facts:computed directly from the number's value — nothing to source or verify externally.
Contextual records: 2 reviewer-confirmed records, sourced and reviewed before publication.
Last reviewed: 15 July 2026