256 (number)

256 (two hundred [and] fifty-six) is the natural number following 255 and preceding 257.

← 255 256 257 →
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Cardinal	two hundred fifty-six
Ordinal	256th (two hundred fifty-sixth)
Factorization	2^8
Greek numeral	ΣΝϚ´
Roman numeral	CCLVI
Binary	1000000002
Ternary	1001113
Octal	4008
Duodecimal	19412
Hexadecimal	10016

In mathematics

256 is a composite number, with the factorization 256 = 2⁸, which makes it a power of two.

• 256 is 4 raised to the 4th power, so in tetration notation 256 is ²4.[1]
• 256 is a perfect square (16²).
• 256 is the only 3-digit number that is zenzizenzizenzic. It is 2 to the 8th power or ${\displaystyle ((2^{2})^{2})^{2}}$.
• 256 is the lowest number that is a product of eight prime factors.

Removing the 6 from 256 yields 25 which is another perfect square.

In computing

One octet (in most cases one byte) is equal to eight bits and has 2⁸ or 256 possible values, counting from 0 to 255. The number 256 often appears in computer applications (especially on 8-bit systems) such as:

• The typical number of different values in each color channel of a digital color image (256 values for red, 256 values for green, and 256 values for blue used for 24-bit color) (see color space or Web colors).
• The number of colors available in a GIF or a 256-color (8-bit) bitmap.
• The number of characters in extended ASCII[2] and Latin-1.[3]
• The number of columns available in a Microsoft Excel worksheet until Excel 2007.[4]
• The split-screen level in Pac-Man, which results from the use of a single byte to store the internal level counter.
• A 256-bit integer can represent up to 1.1579209...e+77 values.

(2²⁵⁶ = 115,792,089,237,316,195,423,570,985,008,687,907,853,269,984,665,640,564,039,457,584,007,913,129,639,936 exactly).[5]

• Number of bits in the SHA-256 cryptographic hash.
• The branding number of nVidia's GeForce 256

In other fields

256 is also:

• The number of characters in the new Braille 8-dot system.
• An area code in Alabama.
• The Country calling code for Uganda.
• The number of NFL regular season football games.[6]
• The frequency of Middle C in hertz under scientific pitch.[7]
• The number of the Amarna letter EA 256, which, according to David Rohl, was written by Ishbaal[8] and contains mentions of King David, Jesse, and Joab.[9]
• The number of captured Viet Cong in the song "Three-Five-Zero-Zero" of the musical Hair.[10]
• The number of soldiers in the most basic unit (the syntagma) of the Macedonian army.[11]
• The number used by short track speed skating Olympian Apolo Ohno.[12][13]
• The number of players online in Domination mode in the game MAG.[14]
• The number of Catch Cards in the video game Super Paper Mario, and referenced numerous other times in said game.
• The number of dots to collect in "PAC-MAN 256".
• The number value in Hebrew Gematria of the word רָנּוּ (ronna) (meaning "sing"), which appears in Jeremiah 31:6, "Sing with gladness for Jacob," and was associated with a prophecy of the return of the Messiah in the Hebrew year 4856 (1095–1096), which was close to the 256th lunar cycle (each cycle lasting 19 years), when the Jews were persecuted during the First Crusade.[15]
• The number of Odùs in the Ifá Corpus.
• .256 Winchester Magnum, short-lived firearm cartridge
• The number of pixels on one side of a Minecraft block.

References

1. "Power Tower." MathWorld. Archived April 27, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
2. "ASCII character chart." Microsoft. Archived January 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
3. "Windows 28591." Microsoft. Archived July 24, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
4. "Improving Performance in Excel 2007: The ‘Big Grid’ and Increased Limits in Excel 2007." Microsoft. Archived December 7, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
5. Creator(s) Of Google. "Google Search Engine Tools Results". Retrieved 10 September 2015.
6. Casserly, Meghan. "Why Women Watch The Olympics." Forbes. 2010-02-05. Archived May 22, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
7. Kelly DH, Sansone FE (1981). "Clinical estimation of fundamental frequency: the 3M Plastiform Magnetic Tape Viewer". J Commun Disord. 14 (2): 123–5. doi:10.1016/0021-9924(81)90004-6. PMID 7251914. When a need to convert from matched pitch to fundamental frequency arises, the problem is, perhaps, further compounded by training in which the speech clinician refers to middle C as 256 Hz (scientific pitch), while middle C in musical pitch is 262 Hz (Josephs, 1967)
8. Rohl, David M. (1996). Pharaohs and kings a biblical quest. Crown Publishers. p. 228. ISBN 978-0-517-70315-1.
9. Rohl, David M. (1996). Pharaohs and kings a biblical quest. Crown Publishers. p. 231. ISBN 978-0-517-70315-1.
10. "Gracenote Lyrics: Three-Five-Zero-Zero." Answers.com. Archived June 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
11. "Oxford Companion to Military History: infantry." Answers.com. Archived May 22, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
12. "2010 Winter Games." NBC Olympics. Archived March 1, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
13. Traikos, Michael, Canwest Olympic Team. "Bronze makes Apolo Ohno the most decorated Winter Olympian in U.S. history." The Vancouver Sun. 2010-02-20. Archived February 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
14. "Hands-On With The 256-Player MAG Beta." Game Informer. 2010-01-06. Archived October 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
15. Baron, Salo W. (1957). Social and Religious History of the Jews - V.4 Meeting of East and West (2nd ed.). Columbia University Press. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-231-08841-1.