1938
1938 is the year nuclear fission was discovered.
- Even
- Composite
Where 1938 fits
Why 1938 is special
Hahn and Strassmann split uranium and could not explain the result; Lise Meitner and Otto Frisch worked out what had happened and named it. Hahn alone received the Nobel Prize, an omission now widely regarded as a serious injustice.
1938 is part of
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (16)
- 1, 2, 3, 6, 17, 19, 34, 38, 51, 57, 102, 114, 323, 646, 969, 1938
- Prime factorisation
- 2 × 3 × 17 × 19
- Digit sum
- 21
- Digital root
- 3
Representations
- Decimal
- 1938
- Scientific notation
- 1.938 × 10^3
Roman numerals
M C M X X X V I I I
MCMXXXVIII uses the subtractive pair CM: a hundred before a thousand — a thousand minus a hundred.
Binary
1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0
1 × 1,024 + 1 × 512 + 1 × 256 + 1 × 128 + 0 × 64 + 0 × 32 + 1 × 16 + 0 × 8 + 0 × 4 + 1 × 2 + 0 × 1 = 1,938
Octal
3 6 2 2
3 × 512 + 6 × 64 + 2 × 8 + 2 × 1 = 1,938
Hexadecimal
7 9 2
7 × 256 + 9 × 16 + 2 × 1 = 1,938
Read as powers of two: 1,024 + 512 + 256 + 128 + 16 + 2 = 1,938.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
1 lotus, 9 coils of rope, 3 hobbles, 8 strokes
1 × 1,000 + 9 × 100 + 3 × 10 + 8 × 1 = 1,938. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
Babylonian
3 corner wedges + 2 vertical wedges (sixties place), 1 corner wedge + 8 vertical wedges (units place)
32 × 60 + 18 = 1938. 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
1938 is a year in the 20th century, in the 1930s.
Darwin described inheritance without a mechanism and Meitner and Frisch explained a result their collaborators could not. Both are cases where the interpretation mattered more than the observation.
View 1859 →Numbers Around Us
- appears inHistorical years
why?
Strength 0.50, confidence "high".
Science
In 1938, nuclear fission was identified by Hahn and Strassmann and explained by Meitner and Frisch (Germany and Sweden).
DocumentedScienceGeography: Germany and SwedenPeriod: 1938Hahn and Strassmann split uranium and could not account for the result. Lise Meitner and Otto Frisch worked out what had happened and named it fission. Hahn alone received the Nobel Prize, an omission now widely treated as a serious injustice.
DocumentedSciencePeriod: 1938
Common questions
Is 1938 a prime number?
No, 1938 is not prime.
What are the factors of 1938?
The factors of 1938 are 1, 2, 3, 6, 17, 19, 34, 38, 51, 57, 102, 114, 323, 646, 969, 1938.
What is 1938 in Roman numerals?
1938 in Roman numerals is MCMXXXVIII. CM is subtractive: a hundred before a thousand — a thousand minus a hundred. Written additively it would be MDCCCCXXXVIII, 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