Numbers·21
21
XXI
10101

The number 21 — factors and divisors

Deficient

21 = 3 × 7. It has 4 divisors, adding up to 32.

Its divisors, itself excluded, add up to less than the number.

Families it belongs to

Triangular

The running total of 1, 2, 3 … — the dots stack into a triangle.

Fibonacci

It sits in the run where each number is the sum of the two before it.

Laid out as dots

It fits as 3 × 7. The more divisors, the closer to a square.

Prime factors
3 × 7
Divisors
1, 3, 7, 21
Sum of divisors
32
Sum without itself
11
Coprime below it
12
Digit sum
3
Digital root
3
Roman numeral
XXI
Binary
10101
Octal
25
Hexadecimal
15
Base 36
L
Bits
5 bits
Collatz steps
7 steps · peaks at 64
Prime before
19
Prime after
23

The grid

Ten per row, twenty rows. The filled cells are primes — you can see the multiples of 2 and 5 drop out in columns.

Numbers either side

How to read this

  • The prime factors are what the number is made of. The count and sum of divisors both follow from them.
  • Add the divisors, take the number away, and you get perfect, abundant or deficient.
  • The length of the binary form is the bit count. 255 taking eight digits is what a byte is.
  • Collatz: halve it if even, triple it and add one if odd. The count is how many moves reach 1.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Is 21 a prime number?

No. It breaks down into 3 × 7.

Q. What are the divisors of 21?

1, 3, 7, 21 — 4 divisors in all, adding up to 32.

Q. How is 21 written in binary?

10101, which is 5 bits. In hexadecimal it is 15.

Q. How many Collatz steps does 21 take?

It reaches 1 in 7, peaking at 64 on the way.