6502
The MOS 6502 is the processor behind the Apple II, the Commodore 64 and the NES.
- Even
- Composite
Where 6502 fits
Why 6502 is special
Its significance is price: it launched at $25 when comparable chips cost several hundred, which is a large part of why home computing happened when it did. Its designers left MOS to found the company that became Arm, whose descendants are in most phones today.
Same number, different meanings
How 6502 is understood across different contexts — never implying one meaning because of another.
- Mathematics
Its significance is price: it launched at $25 when comparable chips cost several hundred, which is a large part of why home computing happened when it did. Its designers left MOS to found the company that became Arm, whose descendants are in most phones today.
- History
Chuck Peddle's team left Motorola to build it, and MOS Technology sold it at Wescon in 1975 from jars on a table because the hall's rules forbade selling from the floor. At around a twentieth of the going price it put a processor within reach of hobbyists and small firms, and the machines that followed — the Apple II, the BBC Micro, the Commodore 64, the NES — are why a generation learned to program at home rather than at work.
- Technology & computing
The 6502 launched at around $25 when comparable processors cost several hundred, and that price is a substantial part of why home computing arrived when it did. It powered the Apple II, the Commodore 64 and the NES; its designers later founded the company that became Arm.
6502 is part of
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (4)
- 1, 2, 3251, 6502
- Prime factorisation
- 2 × 3251
- Digit sum
- 13
- Digital root
- 4
Representations
- Decimal
- 6502
- Scientific notation
- 6.502 × 10^3
Roman numerals
Roman numerals as modelled here goes up to 3,999.
Binary
1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0
1 × 4,096 + 1 × 2,048 + 0 × 1,024 + 0 × 512 + 1 × 256 + 0 × 128 + 1 × 64 + 1 × 32 + 0 × 16 + 0 × 8 + 1 × 4 + 1 × 2 + 0 × 1 = 6,502
Octal
1 4 5 4 6
1 × 4,096 + 4 × 512 + 5 × 64 + 4 × 8 + 6 × 1 = 6,502
Hexadecimal
1 9 6 6
1 × 4,096 + 9 × 256 + 6 × 16 + 6 × 1 = 6,502
Read as powers of two: 4,096 + 2,048 + 256 + 64 + 32 + 4 + 2 = 6,502.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
6 lotuses, 5 coils of rope, 2 strokes
6 × 1,000 + 5 × 100 + 2 × 1 = 6,502. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
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
- Deficient number
- Semiprime
Related numbers & connections
The 6502 part number labels the processor behind a generation of home computers, and collectors refer to the number alone.
The 6809 was the more sophisticated 8-bit design and the 6502 the far more successful one, which is a recurring pattern in the industry.
View 6809 →History
Chuck Peddle's team left Motorola to build it, and MOS Technology sold it at Wescon in 1975 from jars on a table because the hall's rules forbade selling from the floor. At around a twentieth of the going price it put a processor within reach of hobbyists and small firms, and the machines that followed — the Apple II, the BBC Micro, the Commodore 64, the NES — are why a generation learned to program at home rather than at work.
DocumentedHistoryPeriod: 1975
Technology & computing
The 6502 launched at around $25 when comparable processors cost several hundred, and that price is a substantial part of why home computing arrived when it did. It powered the Apple II, the Commodore 64 and the NES; its designers later founded the company that became Arm.
DocumentedTechnology & computingPeriod: 1975
Common questions
Is 6502 a prime number?
No, 6502 is not prime.
What are the factors of 6502?
The factors of 6502 are 1, 2, 3251, 6502.
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