320
The Airbus A320 introduced fly-by-wire to mainstream airliners.
- Even
- Composite
Where 320 fits
Why 320 is special
Pilot inputs go to computers that decide what the control surfaces do, within limits the aircraft will not exceed. It was contentious when introduced in 1988 and is now how nearly every new airliner is flown.
320 is part of
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (14)
- 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320
- Prime factorisation
- 2^6 × 5
- Digit sum
- 5
- Digital root
- 5
Representations
- Decimal
- 320
- Scientific notation
- 3.200 × 10^2
Roman numerals
C C C X X
Binary
1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 × 256 + 0 × 128 + 1 × 64 + 0 × 32 + 0 × 16 + 0 × 8 + 0 × 4 + 0 × 2 + 0 × 1 = 320
Octal
5 0 0
5 × 64 + 0 × 8 + 0 × 1 = 320
Hexadecimal
1 4 0
1 × 256 + 4 × 16 + 0 × 1 = 320
Read as powers of two: 256 + 64 = 320.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
3 coils of rope, 2 hobbles
3 × 100 + 2 × 10 = 320. 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), 2 corner wedges (units place)
5 × 60 + 20 = 320. Places are separated by a space on the tablet, with the higher place written first.
Greek (Ionic)
tau, then kappa, marked as a numeral
tau-kappa + keraia
tau + kappa 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 kaf
shin-kaf
shin (300) + kaf (20) = 320, written in descending order.
Maya
3 bars + 1 dot (upper, twenties place) over shell (zero) (lower, units place)
16 × 20 + 0 = 320. 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
- Happy number
- Harshad (Niven) number
Related numbers & connections
The A320 and 737 families are direct competitors and between them account for most narrowbody airliners in service. Their design philosophies on automation differ substantially.
View 737 →Technology & computing
The A320 made fly-by-wire standard on commercial aircraft: the pilot's input is a request to a computer that will not permit the aircraft outside its flight envelope. The philosophical argument with Boeing's approach ran for decades.
DocumentedTechnology & computingPeriod: 1988
Common questions
Is 320 a prime number?
No, 320 is not prime.
What are the factors of 320?
The factors of 320 are 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320.
What is 320 in Roman numerals?
320 in Roman numerals is CCCXX.
About this page's data
Mathematical facts:computed directly from the number's value — nothing to source or verify externally.
Contextual records: 1 reviewer-confirmed record, sourced and reviewed before publication.
Last reviewed: 15 July 2026