1720
1720 is the year of the South Sea Bubble.
- Even
- Composite
Where 1720 fits
Why 1720 is special
A company with no meaningful trade drove its own share price up tenfold and collapsed. Isaac Newton lost a large sum and is said to have remarked that he could calculate the motions of heavenly bodies but not the madness of people.
Same number, different meanings
How 1720 is understood across different contexts — never implying one meaning because of another.
- Mathematics
A company with no meaningful trade drove its own share price up tenfold and collapsed. Isaac Newton lost a large sum and is said to have remarked that he could calculate the motions of heavenly bodies but not the madness of people.
- History
In 1720, the South Sea Bubble collapsed, ruining investors including Isaac Newton and prompting the first British company legislation (Great Britain).
- Finance & economics
The South Sea Company's business was assuming government debt, not trading. Its share price rose roughly tenfold on expectation alone and collapsed within months, taking down investors including Newton.
1720 is part of
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (16)
- 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 20, 40, 43, 86, 172, 215, 344, 430, 860, 1720
- Prime factorisation
- 2^3 × 5 × 43
- Digit sum
- 10
- Digital root
- 1
Representations
- Decimal
- 1720
- Scientific notation
- 1.720 × 10^3
Roman numerals
M D C C X X
Binary
1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0
1 × 1,024 + 1 × 512 + 0 × 256 + 1 × 128 + 0 × 64 + 1 × 32 + 1 × 16 + 1 × 8 + 0 × 4 + 0 × 2 + 0 × 1 = 1,720
Octal
3 2 7 0
3 × 512 + 2 × 64 + 7 × 8 + 0 × 1 = 1,720
Hexadecimal
6 b 8
6 × 256 + b × 16 + 8 × 1 = 1,720
Read as powers of two: 1,024 + 512 + 128 + 32 + 16 + 8 = 1,720.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
1 lotus, 7 coils of rope, 2 hobbles
1 × 1,000 + 7 × 100 + 2 × 10 = 1,720. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
Babylonian
2 corner wedges + 8 vertical wedges (sixties place), 4 corner wedges (units place)
28 × 60 + 40 = 1720. 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
- Harshad (Niven) number
Related numbers & connections
1720 is a year in the 18th century, in the 1720s.
The South Sea Bubble and tulip mania are the two standard historical bubbles. Modern research suggests the tulip episode was far smaller than its reputation, while the South Sea collapse was genuinely severe.
View 1637 →History
In 1720, the South Sea Bubble collapsed, ruining investors including Isaac Newton and prompting the first British company legislation (Great Britain).
DocumentedHistoryGeography: Great BritainPeriod: 1720
Finance & economics
The South Sea Company's business was assuming government debt, not trading. Its share price rose roughly tenfold on expectation alone and collapsed within months, taking down investors including Newton.
DocumentedFinance & economicsGeography: BritainPeriod: 1720
Common questions
Is 1720 a prime number?
No, 1720 is not prime.
What are the factors of 1720?
The factors of 1720 are 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 20, 40, 43, 86, 172, 215, 344, 430, 860, 1720.
What is 1720 in Roman numerals?
1720 in Roman numerals is MDCCXX.
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