76
76 squared is 5,776, which ends in 76 — one of only a handful of numbers below 100 that do that. "Seventy-Six Trombones" is the other thing it is known for. 76 is the atomic number of osmium, the densest naturally occurring element.
- Even
- Composite
Where 76 fits
Why 76 is special
76's element, osmium, holds a genuine density superlative among everything found in nature.
76 connects to:
- 38 — has factor
Same number, different meanings
How 76 is understood across different contexts — never implying one meaning because of another.
- Mathematics
76's element, osmium, holds a genuine density superlative among everything found in nature.
- Technology & computing
Osmium is too brittle and its oxide too toxic for bulk use, so element 76 appears almost entirely as a hardening addition in tiny quantities. Osmiridium tipped fountain-pen nibs and gramophone styli for decades, and osmium alloys still turn up in instrument pivots and electrical contacts — places where a surface has to survive millions of small movements without wearing.
- Media & popular culture
'Seventy-Six Trombones' is the best-known song from Meredith Willson's 1957 musical The Music Man, in which a travelling salesman sells a town on a boys' band he has no intention of forming. The number is comic hyperbole — no marching band has ever fielded seventy-six trombones — and the song shares its melody, at a different tempo, with the show's ballad 'Goodnight, My Someone'.
- Science
76 is the atomic number of osmium, the densest naturally occurring element.
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (6)
- 1, 2, 4, 19, 38, 76
- Prime factorisation
- 2^2 × 19
- Digit sum
- 13
- Digital root
- 4
Representations
- Decimal
- 76
- Scientific notation
- 7.600 × 10^1
Roman numerals
L X X V I
Binary
1 0 0 1 1 0 0
1 × 64 + 0 × 32 + 0 × 16 + 1 × 8 + 1 × 4 + 0 × 2 + 0 × 1 = 76
Octal
1 1 4
1 × 64 + 1 × 8 + 4 × 1 = 76
Hexadecimal
4 c
4 × 16 + c × 1 = 76
Read as powers of two: 64 + 8 + 4 = 76.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
7 hobbles, 6 strokes
7 × 10 + 6 × 1 = 76. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
Babylonian
1 vertical wedge (sixties place), 1 corner wedge + 6 vertical wedges (units place)
1 × 60 + 16 = 76. Places are separated by a space on the tablet, with the higher place written first.
Greek (Ionic)
omicron, then stigma, marked as a numeral
omicron-stigma + keraia
omicron + stigma written in descending order and added — the letters carry their values wherever they stand, so this is addition, not place value.
Hebrew numerals
ayin, then vav
ayin-vav
ayin (70) + vav (6) = 76, written in descending order.
Chinese numerals
qī shí liù
qī shí liù
七 before 十 multiplies it: 7 tens. 六 after it adds 6. The written form mirrors the arithmetic — "qī shí liù". The financial (anti-fraud) form is 柒拾陸.
Maya
3 dots (upper, twenties place) over 3 bars + 1 dot (lower, units place)
3 × 20 + 16 = 76. 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
- Deficient number
- Automorphic number
- Lucas number
Related numbers & connections
38 is a factor of 76 (38 × 2 = 76).
View 38 →Mathematically related
- has factor38
why?
Strength 0.50, confidence "high".
Technology & computing
Osmium is too brittle and its oxide too toxic for bulk use, so element 76 appears almost entirely as a hardening addition in tiny quantities. Osmiridium tipped fountain-pen nibs and gramophone styli for decades, and osmium alloys still turn up in instrument pivots and electrical contacts — places where a surface has to survive millions of small movements without wearing.
DocumentedTechnology & computing
Media & popular culture
'Seventy-Six Trombones' is the best-known song from Meredith Willson's 1957 musical The Music Man, in which a travelling salesman sells a town on a boys' band he has no intention of forming. The number is comic hyperbole — no marching band has ever fielded seventy-six trombones — and the song shares its melody, at a different tempo, with the show's ballad 'Goodnight, My Someone'.
DocumentedMedia & popular cultureGeography: United StatesPeriod: 1957
Mathematics
76 squared is 5,776, which ends in 76 — and every power of 76 does the same. Numbers with this property are called automorphic, and below 100 only 5, 6, 25 and 76 have it.
DocumentedMathematics76 = 2² × 19, sitting directly after the notable 75.
DocumentedMathematics
Science
76 is the atomic number of osmium, the densest naturally occurring element.
DocumentedScience
Common questions
Why does 76 squared end in 76?
76² = 5,776. A number whose square ends in the number itself is called automorphic, and below 100 only 0, 1, 5, 6, 25 and 76 manage it. The reason is that 76 leaves the right remainder when divided by both 16 and 625, the two factors of 10,000 — so the last two digits are forced.
If osmium is the densest element, what is it used for?
Very little on its own — it is brittle, and its oxide is dangerously toxic. Element 76 appears almost entirely as a hardening addition in tiny quantities: osmiridium tipped fountain-pen nibs and gramophone styli for decades, and osmium alloys still appear in instrument pivots and electrical contacts, where a surface has to survive millions of small movements.
Is 76 a prime number?
No, 76 is not prime.
What are the factors of 76?
The factors of 76 are 1, 2, 4, 19, 38, 76.
What is 76 in Roman numerals?
76 in Roman numerals is LXXVI.
About this page's data
Mathematical facts:computed directly from the number's value — nothing to source or verify externally.
Contextual records: 5 reviewer-confirmed records, sourced and reviewed before publication.
Last reviewed: 15 July 2026