20 (number)

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20 (twenty) is the natural number following 19 and preceding 21. A group of twenty units is often referred to as a score.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Cardinal 20
twenty
Ordinal 20th
twentieth
Numeral system vigesimal
Factorization 2^2\cdot 5
Divisors 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20
Roman numeral XX
Roman numeral (Unicode) XX, xx
Binary 10100
Octal 24
Duodecimal 18
Hexadecimal 14
Vigesimal 10
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Contents

[edit] In mathematics

Twenty is a composite number, its proper divisors being 1, 2, 4, 5 and 10. Skipping 2 and adding the other divisors gives 20, hence 20 is a semiperfect number, and since it is not divisible by any of the smaller semiperfect numbers, it is a primitive semiperfect number. 20 is the smallest abundant number that is not a multiple of 3.

It is also the sum of the first four triangular numbers, making it a tetrahedral number.

20 is the total number of digits on the human body, which makes it a possible candidate for a numeral system.

Twenty is used as a radix for vigesimal number systems. In the former British currency system, there were twenty shillings in a pound.

A polyhedron with twenty faces is an icosahedron.

Twenty is the first number in an early Indian magic square of order 3.

In base 10, it is a Harshad number and the smallest even self number.

[edit] In science

[edit] Astronomy

  • The Saros number of the solar eclipse series which began on -2286 June 5 and ended on -1006 July 13. The duration of Saros series 20 was 1280.1 years, and it contained 72 solar eclipses.
  • The Saros number of the lunar eclipse series which began on -1966 March 25 and ended on -668 May 12. The duration of Saros series 20 was 1298.1 years, and it contained 73 lunar eclipses.

[edit] Biology

  • The number of proteinogenic amino acids that are encoded by the standard genetic code.
  • The number 20 is used as an index in measuring visual acuity. 20/20 indicates normal vision at 20 feet, although it is commonly used to mean "perfect vision" (Note that this applies only to countries using the Imperial system. The metric equivalent is 6/6). When someone is able to see only after an event how things turned out, that person is often said to have had "20/20 hindsight".

[edit] In sports

[edit] In other fields

20 chairs on Sesame Street.
20 chairs on Sesame Street.

20 is:

[edit] Historical years

20 A.D., 20 B.C., 1920, 2020, etc.