56

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← 55 57 → 56
← 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 → List of numbers — Integers 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 →
Cardinal	fifty-six
Ordinal	56th (fifty-sixth)
Factorization
Divisors	1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 14, 28, 56
Roman numeral	LVI
Binary	1110002
Octal	708
Duodecimal	4812
Hexadecimal	3816

56 (fifty-six) is the natural number following 55 and preceding 57.

Mathematics

56 is the sum of the first six triangular numbers (making it a tetrahedral number), as well as the sum of six consecutive primes (3 + 5 + 7 + 11 + 13 + 17). It is also a tetranacci number and a pronic number. Adding up the divisors of 1 through 8 gives 56. Since 56 is twice a perfect number, it is itself a semiperfect number.

56 is a partition number - the number of distinct ways 11 can be represented as the sum of natural numbers.

Since it is possible to find sequences of 56 consecutive integers such that each inner member shares a factor with either the first or the last member, 56 is an Erdős–Woods number.

The maximum determinant in an 8 by 8 matrix of zeroes and ones is 56.

Plutarch^[1] states that the Pythagoreans associated a polygon of 56 sides with Typhon and that they associated certain polygons of smaller numbers of sides with other figures in Greek mythology. While it is impossible to construct a perfect regular 56-sided polygon using simple 'square and circle' geometry, a close approximation has recently been discovered which it is claimed^[2] might have been used at Stonehenge.

Science, technology, and biology

• The atomic number of barium.
• In humans, olfactory receptors are categorized in 56 families.
• The code for international direct dial phone calls to Chile.
• The maximum speed of analog data transmission over a POTS in the 20th century was 56 kbit/s.

Astronomy

• Messier object M56, a magnitude 9.5 globular cluster in the constellation Lyra.
• The New General Catalogue object NGC 56, an unverified object in the constellation Pisces. NGC 56 does not appear to be a real object.
• The Saros number of the solar eclipse series which began on -1172 July 17 and ended on 144 September. The duration of Saros series 56 was 1316.2 years, and it contained 74 solar eclipses.
• The Saros number of the lunar eclipse series which began on -852 May 7 and ended on 428 June. The duration of Saros series 56 was 1280.1 years, and it contained 72 lunar eclipses.

Music

• Number of times the word "Yeah" is used by Michael Stipe from the band R.E.M. in the song "Man on the Moon".
• The number of times the word "Yeah" is used in the song "Lithium" by Nirvana.
• Christian punk rock band Flatfoot 56.
• "Along For The Ride ('56 T-bird)" sung by Danny O'Keefe.
  • This song was covered by John Denver.
• "Five Feet of Lovin '56" sung by Gene Vincent.
• Elvis Presley CD "Elvis '56".
• The name of a Plexi song.

Television and film

• The car number of Ray Peyton, Jr. (Breckin Meyer) in Herbie: Fully Loaded.
• "Nasser 56" documentary.

Sports

• In baseball, the number of consecutive games in which New York Yankees' Joe DiMaggio had a base hit in 1941, still a record.
• Hack Wilson hit 56 home runs in 1930, a National League record until the time of Mark McGwire.

Organizations

• There were 56 signers of the American Declaration of Independence in 1776. A memorial located in Constitution Gardens on the National Mall [1] in Washington, D.C. recognizes each.
• The symbol of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.
• Famous Brazilian politician, Enéas Carneiro has an odd way of repeating the number of his party, "Fifty-Six" (cinqüenta e seis, in Portuguese), making it a widely repeated jargon in his country.
• Department 56 designer of collectibles, giftware and seasonal decorations such as miniature village houses.

People

• Shirley Temple, as a child, wore 56 curls in her hair. Curls were set by her mother who thus made sure of the exact number.
• Isoroku Yamamoto, named "Isoroku" because his father's age was 56 at his birth, and "Isoroku" is an old Japanese term meaning 56.
• Mao Zedong was 56 when the People's Republic of China was established on October 1, 1949.
• There are 56 officially recognized ethnic groups in the list of ethnic groups in China.

Geography

• The name of the town Fifty-Six, Arkansas.
• The number of counties in the state of Montana.
• Cape Horn, the Southernmost tip of South America, is located at almost exactly 56 degrees south.
• In the Los Angeles postal district, Zone 56 (now the ZIP Code area 90056) is one of few that is not within the Los Angeles City Limits (90020 and 90044 are others).
• 56 is the number of the French department Morbihan.

Archaeology

• The number of Aubrey Holes (thought to have located wooden posts) in the first stage of Stonehenge.^[3]

Cosmogony

• According to Aristotle, 56 is the number of layers of the Universe - Earth plus 55 crystalline spheres above it.^[4]

History

• The number of men who signed the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776.
• The number of men of Netophah at the census of men of Israel upon return from exile (Ezra 2:22).

References

1. ^ Plutarch, Moralia V: 30
2. ^ Pegs and Ropes: Geometry at Stonehenge
3. ^ , National Geographic, June 2008 
4. ^ Heaven by Lisa Miller, (2010), ISBN 978-0-06-055475-0 - page 13.

Historical years

56 A.D., 56 B.C., 1756, 1856, 1956, 2056, etc.