44 (number)

44 (forty-four) is the natural number following 43 and preceding 45.

In mathematics

Forty-four is a tribonacci number,^[1] an octahedral number^[2] and the number of derangements of 5 items.^[3]

Since the greatest prime factor of 44² + 1 = 1937 is 149 and thus more than 44 twice, 44 is a Størmer number.^[4]

The aliquot sequence of 44 is (44,40,50,43,1,0).

Given Euler's totient function, φ(44) = 20 and φ(69) = 44.

In decimal notation (base 10), 44 is a palindromic number and a happy number.^[5]

In science

• The atomic number of ruthenium

Astronomy

• Messier object M44, a magnitude 4.0 open cluster in the constellation Cancer, also known as the Beehive Cluster
• The New General Catalogue object NGC 44, a double star in the constellation Andromeda
• The Saros number of the solar eclipse series which began on April 30, 1448 BC and ended on June 7, 168 BC . The duration of Saros series 44 was 1280.1 years, and it contained 72 solar eclipses.
• The Saros number of the lunar eclipse series which began on October 1, 1363 BC and ended on March 27, 153 . The duration of Saros series 44 was 1514.5 years, and it contained 85 lunar eclipses.

In technology

• The ITU country code for international direct dial telephone calls to the United Kingdom
• The .44 Magnum or .44 Special revolver cartridges

In sports

• The retired numbers for former baseball players Hank Aaron, Willie McCovey and Reggie Jackson; the number is sometimes considered to be a "hitter's number".
• Retired NFL Numbers: Floyd Little (Denver Broncos) and Pete Retzlaff (Philadelphia Eagles)
• Retired NBA Numbers: Dan Issel, (Denver Nuggets); Jerry West (L.A. Lakers); Paul Westphal (Phoenix Suns); Sam Lacey (Sacramento Kings); and George Gervin (San Antonio Spurs).
• A number of football legends at Syracuse University, worn most notably by Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little, and Rob Konrad. Although the number was officially retired in 2005, the legend of 44 remains an important part of the identity of Syracuse University.
• The Formula 1 driver number for Lewis Hamilton commencing from the start of the 2014 season.
• The number of a car once driven by Dale Jarrett in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (then known as the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series)

In other fields

Forty-four is:

• The designation of Interstate 44, a freeway that runs from Texas to Missouri
• The designation of U.S. Route 44, a highway that runs from New York to Massachusetts
• The designation of Pennsylvania Route 44 (PA 44), a long state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
• The name of a mysterious savior of Poland prophesied by the Polish national poet Adam Mickiewicz in his masterpiece dramatic poem Dziady (Forefathers): In scene 5 of act 3, the priest Piotr announces a "reviver of the nation" who is to bring back the lost freedom of Poland, and describes him with these words:

Born from a foreign mother, his blood of ancient heroes,

And his name will be forty and four.

• A poker game in which each player is dealt four cards down, and four cards are dealt face down on the table in a row. The first three cards on the table are "community" cards and may be used in any player's hand. The fourth card and any card matching it in rank is wild, and can also be used in a hand (each player is guaranteed one wild card). For each of four rounds, one "community" card is flipped up and a round of betting occurs. After the last round, the winner is the person with the highest poker hand.
• +44 is the name of the band including Blink-182 vocalist/bassist Mark Hoppus and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker.
• In the song 44 fours by Jay Z, he rhymes the words four, for and fore 44 times. This song is a follow up from the song 22 two's.
• Vicks Formula 44 is a cough suppressant
• The number of the French department Loire-Atlantique
• A blues song, Forty-Four, also known as "44 Blues"
• Wyoming was the 44th state to join The United States of America.
• Barack Obama is the 44th President of The United States of America.
• Mark Twain's The Mysterious Stranger features Satan's supposed nephew, who's alternate name in parallel works is "44".
• The number of candles in a box of Hanukkah candles.
• An agent in the American Television series Get Smart goes under the title of 44, usually assigned to small, enclosed, unexpected spots, to meet Maxwell Smart, agent 86.
• Number 44 (Russian: Номер 44) is the Russian localized title for a 2015 American-British mystery thriller film Child 44.
• In an operation to capture Zulkifli Abdhir and Abdul Basit Usman, 44 of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force died during the Mamasapano clash, they were later dubbed as The Fallen 44 or SAF 44.

Historical years

44 A.D., 44 B.C., 1944, 2044, etc.

See also

• +44

References