1884
1884 is the year Greenwich was agreed as the prime meridian.
- Even
- Composite
Where 1884 fits
Why 1884 is special
Twenty-five nations voted; France abstained and kept Paris time for another quarter century. The same conference established the 24-hour universal day, which is why time zones exist in the form they do.
Same number, different meanings
How 1884 is understood across different contexts — never implying one meaning because of another.
- Mathematics
Twenty-five nations voted; France abstained and kept Paris time for another quarter century. The same conference established the 24-hour universal day, which is why time zones exist in the form they do.
- History
In 1884, the first fascicle of what became the Oxford English Dictionary was published, forty-four years before completion (England).
- Geography
The 1884 conference chose Greenwich by a vote of 22 to 1 with two abstentions, France among them. A meridian is arbitrary by nature, so the choice was political, and France used Paris time until 1911.
1884 is part of
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (12)
- 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12, 157, 314, 471, 628, 942, 1884
- Prime factorisation
- 2^2 × 3 × 157
- Digit sum
- 21
- Digital root
- 3
Representations
- Decimal
- 1884
- Scientific notation
- 1.884 × 10^3
Roman numerals
M D C C C L X X X I V
MDCCCLXXXIV uses the subtractive pair IV: one before five — five minus one.
Binary
1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0
1 × 1,024 + 1 × 512 + 1 × 256 + 0 × 128 + 1 × 64 + 0 × 32 + 1 × 16 + 1 × 8 + 1 × 4 + 0 × 2 + 0 × 1 = 1,884
Octal
3 5 3 4
3 × 512 + 5 × 64 + 3 × 8 + 4 × 1 = 1,884
Hexadecimal
7 5 c
7 × 256 + 5 × 16 + c × 1 = 1,884
Read as powers of two: 1,024 + 512 + 256 + 64 + 16 + 8 + 4 = 1,884.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
1 lotus, 8 coils of rope, 8 hobbles, 4 strokes
1 × 1,000 + 8 × 100 + 8 × 10 + 4 × 1 = 1,884. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
Babylonian
3 corner wedges + 1 vertical wedge (sixties place), 2 corner wedges + 4 vertical wedges (units place)
31 × 60 + 24 = 1884. 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
1884 is a year in the 19th century, in the 1880s.
Greenwich was chosen as the prime meridian in 1884 because the Royal Observatory founded there in 1675 had produced the navigational tables most of the world's shipping already used.
View 1675 →History
In 1884, the first fascicle of what became the Oxford English Dictionary was published, forty-four years before completion (England).
DocumentedHistoryGeography: EnglandPeriod: 1884
Geography
The 1884 conference chose Greenwich by a vote of 22 to 1 with two abstentions, France among them. A meridian is arbitrary by nature, so the choice was political, and France used Paris time until 1911.
DocumentedGeographyGeography: International — 25 participating statesPeriod: 1884
Common questions
Is 1884 a prime number?
No, 1884 is not prime.
What are the factors of 1884?
The factors of 1884 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12, 157, 314, 471, 628, 942, 1884.
What is 1884 in Roman numerals?
1884 in Roman numerals is MDCCCLXXXIV. IV is subtractive: one before five — five minus one. Written additively it would be MDCCCLXXXIIII, 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