1984
1984 is the title of George Orwell's novel about a total surveillance state.
- Even
- Composite
Where 1984 fits
Why 1984 is special
Orwell wrote it in 1948 and the title is usually taken to be those digits reversed, though he never confirmed it. The book supplied more working English than almost any other novel — doublethink, thoughtcrime, Big Brother, Room 101 — which is why the number is read as a description rather than a date.
Same number, different meanings
How 1984 is understood across different contexts — never implying one meaning because of another.
- Mathematics
Orwell wrote it in 1948 and the title is usually taken to be those digits reversed, though he never confirmed it. The book supplied more working English than almost any other novel — doublethink, thoughtcrime, Big Brother, Room 101 — which is why the number is read as a description rather than a date.
- History
Orwell finished the novel in 1948 and the common account is that the title inverts the last two digits. The year itself passed without the events described, which is why the number now denotes a warning rather than a prediction.
- Media & popular culture
Orwell wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four in 1948, and the title is usually explained as those digits reversed — an account he never confirmed. The novel contributed more working English than almost any other: doublethink, thoughtcrime, Big Brother, Room 101. That vocabulary is why the number reads as a condition rather than a year.
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (14)
- 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 31, 32, 62, 64, 124, 248, 496, 992, 1984
- Prime factorisation
- 2^6 × 31
- Digit sum
- 22
- Digital root
- 4
Representations
- Decimal
- 1984
- Binary
- 11111000000
- Octal
- 3700
- Hexadecimal
- 7c0
- Roman numeral
- MCMLXXXIV
- Scientific notation
- 1.984 × 10^3
Other mathematical patterns
- Abundant number
Related numbers & connections
Two novels whose titles are numbers and whose subject is state control of information. Bradbury's is a temperature and Orwell's a year, and both are now used as shorthand for the conditions they describe.
View 451 →History
Orwell finished the novel in 1948 and the common account is that the title inverts the last two digits. The year itself passed without the events described, which is why the number now denotes a warning rather than a prediction.
DocumentedHistoryGeography: United KingdomPeriod: 1949; set 1984
Media & popular culture
Orwell wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four in 1948, and the title is usually explained as those digits reversed — an account he never confirmed. The novel contributed more working English than almost any other: doublethink, thoughtcrime, Big Brother, Room 101. That vocabulary is why the number reads as a condition rather than a year.
DocumentedMedia & popular culturePeriod: published 1949
Common questions
Is 1984 a prime number?
No, 1984 is not prime.
What are the factors of 1984?
The factors of 1984 are 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 31, 32, 62, 64, 124, 248, 496, 992, 1984.
What is 1984 in Roman numerals?
1984 in Roman numerals is MCMLXXXIV.
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: 3 August 2026