304
304 is the HTTP status code Not Modified — the cached copy you already have is still current.
- Even
- Composite
Where 304 fits
Why 304 is special
304 is why the web feels faster than it should. A browser asks whether its stored copy is stale, and a 304 answers 'no' in a few bytes rather than resending the whole file. It carries no body at all, which is the entire point: the cheapest useful response on the web is one that sends nothing.
Not just a mathematical number
304is also used in ways where ordinary arithmetic doesn't apply — each listed below with what genuinely does and doesn't follow from it.
- Mathematical number
A genuine quantity — its mathematical properties (prime, square, factors, and so on) are real facts about it.
A genuine quantity that ordinary arithmetic applies to — it can be prime, even, a perfect square, added to another number meaningfully, and so on.
- Code
Also used as a code — HTTP status codes.
An assigned identifier from a fixed registry or standard — its digits don't represent an amount, and arithmetic on it is meaningless (HTTP status 404 + 1 is not a 'better' status; it's a different, unrelated code).
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (10)
- 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 19, 38, 76, 152, 304
- Prime factorisation
- 2^4 × 19
- Digit sum
- 7
- Digital root
- 7
Representations
- Decimal
- 304
- Scientific notation
- 3.040 × 10^2
Roman numerals
C C C I V
CCCIV uses the subtractive pair IV: one before five — five minus one.
Binary
1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
1 × 256 + 0 × 128 + 0 × 64 + 1 × 32 + 1 × 16 + 0 × 8 + 0 × 4 + 0 × 2 + 0 × 1 = 304
Octal
4 6 0
4 × 64 + 6 × 8 + 0 × 1 = 304
Hexadecimal
1 3 0
1 × 256 + 3 × 16 + 0 × 1 = 304
Read as powers of two: 256 + 32 + 16 = 304.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
3 coils of rope, 4 strokes
3 × 100 + 4 × 1 = 304. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
Babylonian
5 vertical wedges (sixties place), 4 vertical wedges (units place)
5 × 60 + 4 = 304. Places are separated by a space on the tablet, with the higher place written first.
Greek (Ionic)
tau, then delta, marked as a numeral
tau-delta + keraia
tau + delta written in descending order and added — the letters carry their values wherever they stand, so this is addition, not place value.
Hebrew numerals
shin, then dalet
shin-dalet
shin (300) + dalet (4) = 304, written in descending order.
Maya
3 bars (upper, twenties place) over 4 dots (lower, units place)
15 × 20 + 4 = 304. Places stack vertically with the smallest at the bottom, so the upper group is worth twenty times the lower.
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
304 tells a browser its cached copy is still current, and sends no body at all.
Molybdenum is the difference: 316 holds up in seawater and chlorides where 304 pits.
View 316 →Numbers Around Us
- appears inHTTP status codes
why?
Strength 0.50, confidence "high".
Other connections
- contrasts with316
why?
Strength 0.50, confidence "high".
Technology & computing
Type 304 austenitic stainless steel is the most widely produced stainless grade, used for kitchen equipment, architectural trim and general fabrication where chloride exposure is limited.
DocumentedTechnology & computingGeography: International — AISI designationsA conditional request carries the date or fingerprint of the copy the browser already holds. If nothing has changed the server answers 304 with headers and no body, so a megabyte image costs a few hundred bytes to revalidate. Most of a returning visitor's page load is 304s.
DocumentedTechnology & computing
Common questions
Is 304 a prime number?
No, 304 is not prime.
What are the factors of 304?
The factors of 304 are 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 19, 38, 76, 152, 304.
What is 304 in Roman numerals?
304 in Roman numerals is CCCIV. IV is subtractive: one before five — five minus one. Written additively it would be CCCIIII, 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