800
800 metres is the shortest middle-distance track event — two laps of a standard outdoor track.
- Even
- Composite
Where 800 fits
Why 800 is special
The 800 is the event that belongs to neither discipline. Two laps is too far to sprint and too short to pace conservatively, so runners finish at close to their maximum oxygen uptake having already gone into oxygen debt — physiologically the most demanding common distance. Races start in lanes and break after the first bend, which is why the stagger looks wrong.
Same number, different meanings
How 800 is understood across different contexts — never implying one meaning because of another.
- Mathematics
The 800 is the event that belongs to neither discipline. Two laps is too far to sprint and too short to pace conservatively, so runners finish at close to their maximum oxygen uptake having already gone into oxygen debt — physiologically the most demanding common distance. Races start in lanes and break after the first bend, which is why the stagger looks wrong.
- Everyday life
There are about 800 million tonnes of wheat harvested worldwide each year. Figure as of 2023. Wheat, rice and maize together supply roughly half the calories humanity eats.
- Technology & computing
There are about 800 million shipping containers moved through ports each year (worldwide, measured in twenty-foot equivalent units). Figure as of 2023. A single large ship carries over 20,000 of them. Containerisation cut the cost of moving goods by sea by more than an order of magnitude.
- Sport
Two laps is long enough that a runner cannot hold sprint speed and short enough that pacing conservatively loses the race, so 800 m specialists finish having exceeded their sustainable oxygen uptake and accumulated substantial oxygen debt. Physiologists routinely describe it as the most demanding standard track event for that reason.
800 is part of
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (18)
- 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 25, 32, 40, 50, 80, 100, 160, 200, 400, 800
- Prime factorisation
- 2^5 × 5^2
- Digit sum
- 8
- Digital root
- 8
Representations
- Decimal
- 800
- Scientific notation
- 8.000 × 10^2
Roman numerals
D C C C
Binary
1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
1 × 512 + 1 × 256 + 0 × 128 + 0 × 64 + 1 × 32 + 0 × 16 + 0 × 8 + 0 × 4 + 0 × 2 + 0 × 1 = 800
Octal
1 4 4 0
1 × 512 + 4 × 64 + 4 × 8 + 0 × 1 = 800
Hexadecimal
3 2 0
3 × 256 + 2 × 16 + 0 × 1 = 800
Read as powers of two: 512 + 256 + 32 = 800.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
8 coils of rope
8 × 100 = 800. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
Babylonian
1 corner wedge + 3 vertical wedges (sixties place), 2 corner wedges (units place)
13 × 60 + 20 = 800. Places are separated by a space on the tablet, with the higher place written first.
Greek (Ionic)
omega, marked as a numeral
omega + keraia
A single letter, omega, marked with a keraia to show it is a number rather than a word.
Hebrew numerals
tav, then tav
tav-tav
tav (400) + tav (400) = 800, written in descending order.
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
- Powerful number
- Harshad (Niven) number
Related numbers & connections
The two middle-distance championship events, and the boundary between speed and endurance. The 800 is run above sustainable oxygen uptake from the start; the 1500 is paced. Athletes who double at championship level are unusual for exactly that reason.
View 1500 →The 801 is the electric-only member of the family, carrying a diesel generator solely for the day the wires fail.
View 801 →Everyday life
There are about 800 million tonnes of wheat harvested worldwide each year. Figure as of 2023. Wheat, rice and maize together supply roughly half the calories humanity eats.
DocumentedEveryday lifeGeography: worldwide
Technology & computing
There are about 800 million shipping containers moved through ports each year (worldwide, measured in twenty-foot equivalent units). Figure as of 2023. A single large ship carries over 20,000 of them. Containerisation cut the cost of moving goods by sea by more than an order of magnitude.
DocumentedTechnology & computingGeography: worldwide, measured in twenty-foot equivalent units
Sport
Two laps is long enough that a runner cannot hold sprint speed and short enough that pacing conservatively loses the race, so 800 m specialists finish having exceeded their sustainable oxygen uptake and accumulated substantial oxygen debt. Physiologists routinely describe it as the most demanding standard track event for that reason.
DocumentedSport
Common questions
Is 800 a prime number?
No, 800 is not prime.
What are the factors of 800?
The factors of 800 are 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 25, 32, 40, 50, 80, 100, 160, 200, 400, 800.
What is 800 in Roman numerals?
800 in Roman numerals is DCCC.
About this page's data
Mathematical facts:computed directly from the number's value — nothing to source or verify externally.
Contextual records: 3 reviewer-confirmed records, sourced and reviewed before publication.
Last reviewed: 15 July 2026