87
In Australian cricket 87 is the "Devil's number", a superstition about being dismissed thirteen short of a century — and the famous origin story turns out to be a misremembering. 87 is the atomic number of francium.
- Odd
- Composite
Where 87 fits
Why 87 is special
87's element barely exists (francium's longest-lived isotope has a half-life of only about 22 minutes), and in Australian cricket it carries a well-known superstition: being dismissed on 87 — 13 short of a century — is considered unlucky, a tradition whose own origin story turns out to be a misremembered scorecard.
Same number, different meanings
How 87 is understood across different contexts — never implying one meaning because of another.
- Mathematics
87's element barely exists (francium's longest-lived isotope has a half-life of only about 22 minutes), and in Australian cricket it carries a well-known superstition: being dismissed on 87 — 13 short of a century — is considered unlucky, a tradition whose own origin story turns out to be a misremembered scorecard.
- Sport
In Australian cricket, 87 is known as the 'Devil's number' — a superstition that being dismissed on 87 (13 short of a century) is unlucky. The tradition traces to a story, popularised by Test player Keith Miller, of Don Bradman being dismissed for 87 in 1929; historical scorecards actually record Bradman's dismissal at 89, making the origin story itself a widely retold misconception rather than a documented fact.
- Science
87 is the atomic number of francium, among the most unstable naturally occurring elements, with a longest-lived isotope's half-life of only about 22 minutes.
- Symbolic meaning
In modern numerology, 87 is said to combine the meanings of 8 (abundance, achievement) and 7 (introspection, wisdom), and is sometimes described as an 'angel number' signalling material and spiritual reward. This is a belief-system interpretation, not an empirical claim.
87 is part of
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (4)
- 1, 3, 29, 87
- Prime factorisation
- 3 × 29
- Digit sum
- 15
- Digital root
- 6
Representations
- Decimal
- 87
- Scientific notation
- 8.700 × 10^1
Roman numerals
L X X X V I I
Binary
1 0 1 0 1 1 1
1 × 64 + 0 × 32 + 1 × 16 + 0 × 8 + 1 × 4 + 1 × 2 + 1 × 1 = 87
Octal
1 2 7
1 × 64 + 2 × 8 + 7 × 1 = 87
Hexadecimal
5 7
5 × 16 + 7 × 1 = 87
Read as powers of two: 64 + 16 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 87.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
8 hobbles, 7 strokes
8 × 10 + 7 × 1 = 87. 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), 2 corner wedges + 7 vertical wedges (units place)
1 × 60 + 27 = 87. Places are separated by a space on the tablet, with the higher place written first.
Greek (Ionic)
pi, then zeta, marked as a numeral
pi-zeta + keraia
pi + zeta written in descending order and added — the letters carry their values wherever they stand, so this is addition, not place value.
Hebrew numerals
pe, then zayin
pe-zayin
pe (80) + zayin (7) = 87, written in descending order.
Chinese numerals
bā shí qī
bā shí qī
八 before 十 multiplies it: 8 tens. 七 after it adds 7. The written form mirrors the arithmetic — "bā shí qī". The financial (anti-fraud) form is 捌拾柒.
Maya
4 dots (upper, twenties place) over 1 bar + 2 dots (lower, units place)
4 × 20 + 7 = 87. 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
- Semiprime
- Lucky number (mathematical sieve)
Related numbers & connections
29 is a factor of 87 (29 × 3 = 87).
View 29 →87 is treated as an unlucky score in Australian cricket, a documented superstition rather than a rule of the game.
PNG was designed to replace GIF specifically because GIF's compression was patented, and it uses an unencumbered algorithm instead.
View 2083 →Sport
In Australian cricket, 87 is known as the 'Devil's number' — a superstition that being dismissed on 87 (13 short of a century) is unlucky. The tradition traces to a story, popularised by Test player Keith Miller, of Don Bradman being dismissed for 87 in 1929; historical scorecards actually record Bradman's dismissal at 89, making the origin story itself a widely retold misconception rather than a documented fact.
Tradition / practiceSportCulture: Australian cricketGeography: AustraliaPresented as belief or tradition, not as an established fact.
Science
87 is the atomic number of francium, among the most unstable naturally occurring elements, with a longest-lived isotope's half-life of only about 22 minutes.
DocumentedScience
Mathematics
87 factors as 3 × 29.
DocumentedMathematics
Symbolic meaning
In modern numerology, 87 is said to combine the meanings of 8 (abundance, achievement) and 7 (introspection, wisdom), and is sometimes described as an 'angel number' signalling material and spiritual reward. This is a belief-system interpretation, not an empirical claim.
Belief / interpretationSymbolic meaningPresented as belief or tradition, not as an established fact.
Common questions
Why is 87 called cricket's 'Devil's number'?
An Australian cricket superstition holding that being dismissed on 87 (13 short of a century) is unlucky. It traces to a story Test player Keith Miller told about Don Bradman being dismissed for 87 in 1929 — but historical scorecards actually show Bradman was out for 89, so the origin story itself is a widely retold misconception.
What element has atomic number 87?
Francium — one of the most unstable naturally occurring elements; its longest-lived isotope has a half-life of only about 22 minutes.
Is 87 actually unlucky for cricket batsmen, statistically?
No clear evidence supports that — despite the superstition's fame, batsmen don't appear to be dismissed on 87 more often than chance would predict. It endures as folklore, not a demonstrated pattern.
Is 87 a prime number?
No, 87 is not prime.
What are the factors of 87?
The factors of 87 are 1, 3, 29, 87.
What is 87 in Roman numerals?
87 in Roman numerals is LXXXVII.
About this page's data
Mathematical facts:computed directly from the number's value — nothing to source or verify externally.
Contextual records: 4 reviewer-confirmed records, sourced and reviewed before publication.
Last reviewed: 15 July 2026