1672
1672 is the year Newton published his work on the spectrum.
- Even
- Composite
Where 1672 fits
Why 1672 is special
Passing sunlight through a prism and then recombining it showed white light is composed of colours rather than being coloured by the glass. The result was disputed for years.
Same number, different meanings
How 1672 is understood across different contexts — never implying one meaning because of another.
- Mathematics
Passing sunlight through a prism and then recombining it showed white light is composed of colours rather than being coloured by the glass. The result was disputed for years.
- History
In 1672, Newton published his work on the composition of white light, showing prisms separate rather than colour it (England).
- Science
Newton's decisive step in 1672 was recombining the spectrum back into white light, which showed the prism separated rather than created colour. The experiment was contested by Hooke and others.
1672 is part of
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (16)
- 1, 2, 4, 8, 11, 19, 22, 38, 44, 76, 88, 152, 209, 418, 836, 1672
- Prime factorisation
- 2^3 × 11 × 19
- Digit sum
- 16
- Digital root
- 7
Representations
- Decimal
- 1672
- Scientific notation
- 1.672 × 10^3
Roman numerals
M D C L X X I I
Binary
1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
1 × 1,024 + 1 × 512 + 0 × 256 + 1 × 128 + 0 × 64 + 0 × 32 + 0 × 16 + 1 × 8 + 0 × 4 + 0 × 2 + 0 × 1 = 1,672
Octal
3 2 1 0
3 × 512 + 2 × 64 + 1 × 8 + 0 × 1 = 1,672
Hexadecimal
6 8 8
6 × 256 + 8 × 16 + 8 × 1 = 1,672
Read as powers of two: 1,024 + 512 + 128 + 8 = 1,672.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
1 lotus, 6 coils of rope, 7 hobbles, 2 strokes
1 × 1,000 + 6 × 100 + 7 × 10 + 2 × 1 = 1,672. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
Babylonian
2 corner wedges + 7 vertical wedges (sixties place), 5 corner wedges + 2 vertical wedges (units place)
27 × 60 + 52 = 1672. 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
- Abundant number
Related numbers & connections
1672 is a year in the 17th century, in the 1670s.
Newton built the reflecting telescope in 1668 and published his work on the spectrum in 1672. Both address the same defect in lenses: colour fringing.
View 1668 →Numbers Around Us
- appears inHistorical years
why?
Strength 0.50, confidence "high".
Other connections
- is associated with1668
why?
Strength 0.50, confidence "high".
History
In 1672, Newton published his work on the composition of white light, showing prisms separate rather than colour it (England).
DocumentedHistoryGeography: EnglandPeriod: 1672
Science
Newton's decisive step in 1672 was recombining the spectrum back into white light, which showed the prism separated rather than created colour. The experiment was contested by Hooke and others.
DocumentedScienceGeography: EnglandPeriod: 1672
Common questions
Is 1672 a prime number?
No, 1672 is not prime.
What are the factors of 1672?
The factors of 1672 are 1, 2, 4, 8, 11, 19, 22, 38, 44, 76, 88, 152, 209, 418, 836, 1672.
What is 1672 in Roman numerals?
1672 in Roman numerals is MDCLXXII.
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