24 (NUMBER)

24	20	4

'24' ('twenty-four') is the natural number following 23 and preceding 25.
The SI prefix for 10²⁴ is yotta (Y), and for 10^-24 (i.e., the reciprocal of 10²⁴) yocto (y). These numbers are the largest and smallest number to receive an SI prefix to date.

Cardinal	24 twenty-four
Ordinal	24th twenty-fourth
Factorization	$2^3\; cdot\; 3$
Divisors	1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24
Roman numeral	XXIV
Binary	11000
Hexadecimal	18

Contents

In mathematics

In science

In religion

In music

In sports

In other fields

Historical years

References

In mathematics

It is the factorial of 4 and a composite number, the smallest number with exactly eight divisors, its proper divisors being 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 12, making it a highly composite number. Subtracting one from any of its divisors (except 1 and 2, but including itself) yields a prime number; 24 is the largest number with this property. Adding up all the proper divisors of 24 except 4 and 8 gives 24, hence 24 is a semiperfect number.
There are 10 solutions to the equation φ(''x'') = 24, namely 35, 39, 45, 52, 56, 70, 72, 78, 84 and 90. This is more than any integer below 24, making 24 a highly totient number.
24 is a nonagonal number. This number is also the sum of a twin prime (11 + 13). It is a Harshad number and a semi-meandric number.
24 is one of the few numbers for which the sum of $mu(d)d^2$ for each of its divisors is equal to itself. (This it has in common with 1).
The product of any four consecutive numbers is divisible by 24.^[1]
In 24 dimensions there are 24 even positive definite unimodular lattices, called the Niemeier lattices. One of these is the exceptional Leech lattice which has many surprising properties; due to its existence, the answers to many problems such as the kissing number problem and sphere packing are known in 24 dimensions but not in many lower dimensions. The Leech lattice is closely related to the equally nice length-24 binary Golay code and the Steiner system S(5,8,24) and the Mathieu group M₂₄. One construction of the Leech lattice is possible because of the remarkable fact that 1²+2²+3²+...+24² =70² is a perfect square; 24 is the only integer greater than 1 with this property. These properties of 24 are related to the fact that the number 24 also appears in several places in the theory of modular forms; for example, the modular discriminant is the 24th power of the Dedekind eta function.
24 is the largest number ''n'' with the property that every element of the group of units ('Z'/''n'''Z')
^★ of the commutative ring 'Z'/''n'''Z', apart from the identity element, has order 2; thus the multiplicative group ('Z'/24'Z')
^★ = {1,5,7,11,13,17,19,23} is isomorphic to the additive group ('Z'/2'Z')³. This fact plays a role in monstrous moonshine.
The 24-cell, with 24 octahedral cells and 24 vertices, is a self-dual convex regular 4-polytope; it has no good 3-dimensional analogue.

In science

★ The atomic number of chromium

In religion

★ The number of books in the Tanakh

In music

There are 24 major and minor keys in Western tonal music, not counting enharmonic equivalents. Therefore, for collections of pieces written in each key, the number of pieces in such a collection; e.g., Chopin's ''24 Preludes''

In sports

★ The number of Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays, retired by the San Francisco Giants.

★ The number of Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Perez, retired by the Cincinnati Reds.

★ The number of former MLB All-Star Jimmy Wynn, retired by the Houston Astros.

★ The car number of 4-time NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon since the 1992 Hooters 500. Previously, another Gordon-- Cecil Gordon--had driven the 24 car.

★ The jersey number of MLB All-Star, Manny Ramirez from the Boston Red Sox

★ The jersey number of MLB All-Star, Robinson Cano for the 2007 season.

★ The current jersey number of NBA star, Kobe Bryant (from the 2006-07 season, onwards)

★ The jersey number of NFL Stars, Champ Bailey and Cadillac Williams

★ The number of teams that participated in each FIFA World Cup finals tournament between 1982 and 1994.

★ The jersey number of NHL hall of famer Bernie Federko, retired by the St. Louis Blues

In other fields

Seven-segment 2.svg Seven-segment 4.svg

'24' is also:

★ The number of bits a computer needs to represent truecolour images (for a maximum of 16,777,216 colours).

★ The number of a broadcast television channel

★ The number of cans or bottles in a beverage case.

★ The number of Carats representing 100% pure gold.

★ The number of cycles in the Chinese solar year.

★ The number of frames per second at which motion picture film is usually projected.

★ The number of hours in a day.

★ The number of letters in both the modern and classical Greek alphabet. For the latter reason, also the number of chapters or "books" into which Homer's ''Odyssey'' and ''Iliad'' came to be divided.

★ ''24'', television series starring Kiefer Sutherland. Each 24-episode season of the show covers 24 hours.

★ The number of points on a backgammon board.

★ When pronounced "two-four", a 24-pack of beer (Canadianism).

★ A children's mathematical game involving the use of any of the 4 standard operations on 4 numbers on a card to get 24 (see Math 24)

★ "24", a song by Welsh musician Jem

★ The nursery rhyme Sing a Song of Sixpence has the line "four and twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie"

★ The maximum number of Knight Companions in the Order of the Garter

★ The Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution is one of the Civil Rights-era amendments, abolishing poll tax requirements in federal elections.

★ The designation of US Interstate 24, a freeway that runs from Tennessee to Illinois. Also many other roads called Route 24

★ 24 is considered an unlucky number in Cantonese culture because its pronounication is similar to that of "easy to die". For this reason, many buildings skip this floor number. The same goes for 13, 34, 44, etc.

★ In Brazil, the number 24 holds a strong popular association with homosexuality, as there is a popular betting game, the Jogo do Bicho (Animal Game) in which 24 is the "deer" number. The Brazilian word for deer, "veado", is also used as a depreciative slang term for homosexual, although the latter is sometimes spelled with an 'i' as opposed to an 'e'

★ #24 is a recurring character on ''The Venture Bros.''

★ According to a Mr. Show episode, 24 is the highest number

★ A Straight Edge symbol, for X is the 24th letter of the alphabet

Historical years

'24 A.D.', 24 B.C., 1924, 2024, etc.

References

1. Chambers's Encyclopædia, , , , , 1864,