1472 (number and year)

1472 is the integer 2^6 × 23 and the Julian leap year AD 1472. This entry summarizes its arithmetic properties, numeral forms and historical context in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance.

Overview

1472 may denote either the natural number that follows 1471 and precedes 1473, or the year AD 1472 in the 15th century. As a number it has elementary arithmetic characteristics that make it easy to factor and to analyse in divisor functions. As a year it falls within the period commonly described as the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance, a time of expanding long‑distance navigation, changes in state formation and intensified cultural exchange in Europe and beyond.

Mathematical properties

In prime factorization 1472 = 2^6 × 23, so it is an even composite integer with a high power of two. It has 14 positive divisors. The divisors are listed below and include powers of two up to 64 and those powers multiplied by 23.

1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64,
23, 46, 92, 184, 368, 736, 1472

The sum of all divisors (the sigma function) is 3,048, and the sum of proper divisors is 1,576, which makes 1472 an abundant number because the proper divisors sum to a value greater than the number itself. The Euler totient φ(1472) = 704. Common numeral representations include Roman numerals MCDLXXII, binary 10111000000, octal 2700 and hexadecimal 5C0.

1472 as a year: calendar and context

Year 1472 was a leap year in the Julian calendar (years divisible by 4). It lies in the decades after the introduction of movable‑type printing in Europe and during expanding maritime activity by Iberian kingdoms along the African coast. Political life in European states continued to be shaped by dynastic alliances, territorial consolidation and the growth of central institutions.

Notable developments

Among events often associated with the early 1470s is the marriage of the Byzantine princess Zoe (who became known in Russia as Sophia Palaiologina) to the Grand Prince Ivan III of Moscow; that union is widely cited as an influence on Muscovite court ceremonial and claims of imperial continuity in later centuries. Portuguese voyages in this period advanced along the West African seaboard and made contacts with coastal communities and islands, part of the longer process later called the Age of Discovery. Cultural and intellectual currents of the Renaissance continued to diffuse through patronage, the arts and the new print culture.

Significance

As a number, 1472 illustrates how a large power of two multiplied by a moderate prime yields a moderate divisor count and an abundant classification. As a year, 1472 is not marked by a single universally transformative event but sits within overlapping processes—political centralization in parts of Europe, maritime expansion by Iberian states and cultural exchange—that contributed to major changes in subsequent decades.

Quick facts

Prime factorization: 2^6 × 23
Number of positive divisors: 14
Sum of divisors: 3,048 (proper divisors sum to 1,576)
Euler totient φ(1472) = 704
Roman numeral: MCDLXXII