1489
1489 is the year the plus and minus signs first appeared in print.
- Odd
- Prime
Where 1489 fits
Why 1489 is special
Johannes Widmann used them in a German arithmetic book, initially to mark surplus and deficit in barrels rather than as operators. Notation preceded the meaning it now carries.
1489 is part of
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (2)
- 1, 1489
- Prime factorisation
- 1489
- Digit sum
- 22
- Digital root
- 4
Representations
- Decimal
- 1489
- Scientific notation
- 1.489 × 10^3
Roman numerals
M C D L X X X I X
MCDLXXXIX uses the subtractive pair IX: one before ten — ten minus one.
Binary
1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1
1 × 1,024 + 0 × 512 + 1 × 256 + 1 × 128 + 1 × 64 + 0 × 32 + 1 × 16 + 0 × 8 + 0 × 4 + 0 × 2 + 1 × 1 = 1,489
Octal
2 7 2 1
2 × 512 + 7 × 64 + 2 × 8 + 1 × 1 = 1,489
Hexadecimal
5 d 1
5 × 256 + d × 16 + 1 × 1 = 1,489
Read as powers of two: 1,024 + 256 + 128 + 64 + 16 + 1 = 1,489.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
1 lotus, 4 coils of rope, 8 hobbles, 9 strokes
1 × 1,000 + 4 × 100 + 8 × 10 + 9 × 1 = 1,489. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
Babylonian
2 corner wedges + 4 vertical wedges (sixties place), 4 corner wedges + 9 vertical wedges (units place)
24 × 60 + 49 = 1489. Places are separated by a space on the tablet, with the higher place written first.
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
- Twin prime
Related numbers & connections
1489 is a year in the 15th century, in the 1480s.
The plus and minus signs appear in print in 1489 as warehouse marks for surplus and shortfall; Napier's logarithms of 1614 are among the first works to depend on settled arithmetic notation.
View 1614 →Numbers Around Us
- appears inHistorical years
why?
Strength 0.50, confidence "high".
Other connections
- developed from1614
why?
Strength 0.50, confidence "high".
Technology & computing
In 1489, the plus and minus signs appeared in print for the first time, in Johannes Widmann's arithmetic (Iberia).
DocumentedTechnology & computingGeography: IberiaPeriod: 1489
Mathematics
The + and − signs appear in print in 1489 marking excess and shortfall in commercial quantities. Their use as arithmetic operators developed afterwards, so the notation predates the operation.
DocumentedMathematics
Common questions
Is 1489 a prime number?
Yes, 1489 is prime — it has exactly two positive divisors: 1 and itself.
What are the factors of 1489?
The factors of 1489 are 1, 1489.
What is 1489 in Roman numerals?
1489 in Roman numerals is MCDLXXXIX. IX is subtractive: one before ten — ten minus one. Written additively it would be MCCCCLXXXVIIII, 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: 2 reviewer-confirmed records, sourced and reviewed before publication.
Last reviewed: 15 July 2026