Number dictionary · Exact arithmetic

27: factors and number facts

twenty-seven is an odd number and is composite. Its 4 positive divisors form 2 factor pairs.

Number JD Editorial Team · Updated 2026-10-08

In words
twenty-seven
Roman numeral
XXVII
Prime factorization
3^3
Digital root
9

All factors of 27

A positive factor divides 27 with no remainder. In ascending order, the complete list is:

1, 3, 9, 27

Factor pairs

  • 1 × 27 = 27
  • 3 × 9 = 27

Each pair describes an arrangement of 27 items into equal rows. The pairs have different row and column counts; 27 cannot make a square array of whole items.

Divisor totals

Positive divisors
4
Sum of all divisors
40
Sum excluding 27
13
Classification
deficient

27 is deficient because its proper divisors add to 13, which is less than 27.

Understand factors and multiples

Prime factorization of 27

27 = 3^3

Repeated division, step by step

  1. 27 ÷ 3 = 9
  2. 9 ÷ 3 = 3
  3. 3 ÷ 3 = 1

Multiply the prime divisors in these steps to reconstruct 27. An exponent records how many times the same prime occurs. The divisor-count calculation is (3 + 1) = 4.

The preceding prime is 23. The next larger prime is 29. The factor list above explains why 27 is composite.

Learn the factorization method

27 in words, Roman numerals and other bases

Equivalent representations of the integer 27
RepresentationValue
English (US style)twenty-seven
Roman numeralXXVII
Binary (base 2)11011
Octal (base 8)33
Decimal (base 10)27
Hexadecimal (base 16)1B

Check the binary conversion

Read 11011 from right to left using place values 1, 2, 4, 8 and successive powers of two. Keep the values whose bit is 1:

16 + 8 + 2 + 1 = 27

Check the hexadecimal conversion

1 × 16^1 + 11 × 16^0 = 27

Hexadecimal uses A through F for digit values 10 through 15. These notations represent the same quantity; changing the base does not change the integer.

Square, cube and square root of 27

27 squared
27 × 27 = 729
27 cubed
27 × 27 × 27 = 19,683
Square root
≈ 5.196152
Simplified radical
3√3

27 lies between 25 (5²) and 36 (6²), so it is not a perfect square. It is also a perfect cube: 3³ = 27.

27 is not triangular: no positive whole-number k satisfies k(k + 1) / 2 = 27.

Distinguish a square from a square root

Multiplication table for 27

These are the first twelve positive multiples. Unlike the finite factor list, the sequence of multiples continues without an upper limit.

27 × 127
27 × 254
27 × 381
27 × 4108
27 × 5135
27 × 6162
27 × 7189
27 × 8216
27 × 9243
27 × 10270
27 × 11297
27 × 12324

Divisibility checks

Quotients and remainders for divisors 2 through 12
Divide byWhole quotientRemainderDivides exactly?
2131No
390Yes
463No
552No
643No
736No
833No
930Yes
1027No
1125No
1223No

For example, 27 = 7 × 3 + 6. A remainder of zero is what makes a divisor a factor.

Digit sum and digital root of 27

27 contains 2 decimal digits. Its digit sum is 2 + 7 = 9.

  1. 27: 2 + 7 = 9

The digital root is 9. Reversing its digits gives 72; it is not a decimal palindrome. Digit patterns depend on the notation being used.

Digital-root arithmetic always finishes at a single digit for a positive integer. Some numerology methods stop at 11, 22 or 33 instead; that is a separate interpretive convention.

Fractions and a worked comparison

As a fraction of 100, 27/100 simplifies to 27/100 by dividing both terms by their greatest common divisor, 1. Its decimal value is 0.27.

The greatest common divisor of 27 and 12 is 3. Their least common multiple is 108. The identity GCD × LCM = 27 × 12 = 324 checks both results.

Work through GCF and LCM

Questions about 27

What are the factors of 27?

The positive factors are 1, 3, 9, 27. There are 4 factors, including 1 and 27.

Is 27 a prime number?

No. 27 is composite: 3^3 = 27.

How do you write 27 in Roman numerals?

27 is XXVII in standard subtractive Roman numeral notation.

What is the binary representation of 27?

27 in decimal is 11011 in base 2. Adding its active place values gives 16 + 8 + 2 + 1 = 27.

Methods and reference definitions

Number JD calculates each result from the integer on this page. Positive factors are enumerated in pairs; repeated division gives the prime factorization; place values verify base conversions. Decimal square roots are rounded to six places when irrational.

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A reflective note on 27

Meaning varies by tradition and personal experience. One sighting is not evidence of what will happen next.

The digits of 27 add to 9. That arithmetic result is separate from the cultural symbolism of the pattern. If this number matters to you, write down what you noticed and choose one grounded action rather than treating the sighting as a prediction.