See Also

12 (number)

12 is the natural number following 11 and preceding 13. The word "twelve" is a native English English language

English is a widely distributed language that originated in England [i] but is now the primary language ... 

 word that presumably arises from the Germanic Germanic languages

The Germanic languages are a group of related languages constituting a branch of the Indo-European language family [i] ... 

 compound twa-lif "two-leave", meaning that two is left after one takes away the base, ten. This compound meaning may have been transparent to speakers of Old English Old English language

Old English is an early form of the English language [i] that was spoken in parts of what is now England [i] ... 

, but the modern form "twelve" is quite opaque. Only the remaining tw- hints that twelve and two are related. Etymology suggests that "twelve" consists of two parts, the first meaning "two" and the second "leftover", so a literal translation would yield "two remaining [after having ten taken]".

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Cardinal Cardinal number

In mathematics [i], cardinal numbers, or cardinals for short, are a generalized kind of number [i] ... 

12
twelve
Ordinal Ordinal number

Commonly, ordinal numbers, or ordinals for short, are numbers used to denote the position in an ordered [i]... 

12th
twelfth
Numeral system duodecimal Duodecimal

The duodecimal system is a numeral system [i] using twelve [i] as its base.
... 

Factorization Factorization

In mathematics [i], factorization or factoring is the decomposition of an object into a product [i] ... 

Divisors 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12
Roman numeral Roman numerals

The system of Roman numerals is a numeral system [i] originating in ancient Rome [i], and was adapted fr ... 

XII
Roman numeral ?, ?
Binary Binary numeral system

The binary numeral system [i] represents numeric values using two symbols, typically 0 [i] and 1 [i] ... 

1100
Octal 14
Duodecimal Duodecimal

The duodecimal system is a numeral system [i] using twelve [i] as its base.
... 

10
Hexadecimal Hexadecimal

In mathematics [i] and computer science [i], base [i]-, hexadecimal, or simply hex, is... 

C
Mathematical properties
f Euler's totient function

In number theory [i], the totient of a positive integer [i] n is defined to be the number of positi ... 

 = 4
t = 6
s Divisor function

In mathematics [i], and specifically in number theory [i], a divisor function is an arithmetical function [i]... 

 = 28
p Prime counting function

In mathematics [i], the prime counting function is the function [i] counting the number of prime number [i] ... 

 = 5
µ Möbius function

The classical Mbius function is an important multiplicative function [i] in number theory [i] and combinatorics [i] ... 

 = 0
M Mertens function

In number theory [i], the Mertens function is
... 

 = -2


12 is the natural number following 11 and preceding 13.

The word "twelve" is a native English English language

English is a widely distributed language that originated in England [i] but is now the primary language ... 

 word that presumably arises from the Germanic Germanic languages

The Germanic languages are a group of related languages constituting a branch of the Indo-European language family [i] ... 

 compound twa-lif "two-leave", meaning that two is left after one takes away the base, ten. This compound meaning may have been transparent to speakers of Old English Old English language

Old English is an early form of the English language [i] that was spoken in parts of what is now England [i] ... 

, but the modern form "twelve" is quite opaque. Only the remaining tw- hints that twelve and two are related. Etymology suggests that "twelve" consists of two parts, the first meaning "two" and the second "leftover", so a literal translation would yield "two remaining [after having ten taken]".

A group of twelve things is called a Duodecad. The ordinal adjective is duodenary.

The number twelve is often used as a sales unit in trade, and is often referred to as a dozen. Twelve dozen are known as a gross.

As shown below, the number twelve is frequently referenced in the Abrahamic religions Abrahamic religion

In the study of comparative religion [i], an Abrahamic religion or Judeo-Abrahamic Faith is any religion [i]... 

 and is also central to Western calendar Gregorian calendar

The Gregorian calendar is the calendar [i] that is used nearly everywhere in the world.... 

 and units of time Time

Two distinct views exist on the meaning of time.... 

.

In mathematics

  • Twelve is a composite number, the smallest number with exactly six divisors, its proper divisors being 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6. Twelve is also a highly composite number, the next one being 24.


  • The duodecimal Duodecimal

    The duodecimal system is a numeral system [i] using twelve [i] as its base.

... 

 system , which is the use of 12 as a division factor for many ancient and medieval weights and measures, including hours, probably originates from Mesopotamia Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia refers to the region [i] now occupied by modern Iraq [i], eastern Syria [i], and southeaster ... 

. As Schoolhouse Rock Schoolhouse Rock!

Schoolhouse Rock! is a series of 46 educational shorts [i] featuring rock [i] ... 

 explains in its song "Little Twelvetoes", if humankind had been born with twelve fingers, they would have counted and multiplied using the duodecimal system.

  • Twelve is a superfactorial Factorial

    In mathematics [i], the factorial of a natural number [i] n is the product [i] of all positive [i] ... 

    , being the product of the first three factorials.


  • Twelve being the product of three and four, the first four positive integers show up in the equation 12 = 3 × 4, which can be continued with the equation 56 = 7 × 8.


  • A twelve-sided polygon Polygon

    A polygon is a closed [i] planar [i] path composed of a finite number of sequential ... 

     is a dodecagon Dodecagon

    In geometry [i], a dodecagon is a polygon [i] with exactly twelve sides. ... 

    . A twelve-sided polyhedron Polyhedron

    A polyhedron is a geometric shape which in mathematics [i] is defined by three related meanings. ... 

     is a dodecahedron Dodecahedron

    A dodecahedron is any polyhedron [i] with twelve faces, but usually a regular dodecahedron is mean ... 

    . Twelve is a pentagonal number.


  • The densest three-dimensional lattice sphere packing Sphere packing

    In mathematics [i], sphere packing problems are problems concerning arrangements of non-overlapping iden ... 

     has each sphere touching 12 others, and this is almost certainly true for any arrangement of spheres . Twelve is also the kissing number Kissing number problem

    In geometry [i], the kissing number is the maximum number of sphere [i]s of radius 1 that can simultaneo ... 

     in three dimensions.


  • In base thirteen and higher bases , twelve is represented as C.


  • Twelve is superabundant, sparsely totient, a Harshad number and a Pell number.


  • Twelve is the ninth Perrin number, preceded in the sequence by 5, 7, 10.


  • Twelve is the smallest weight for which a cusp form exists. This cusp form is the discriminant ? whose Fourier coefficients are given by the Ramanujan Srinivasa Ramanujan

    Srinivasa Aiyangar Ramanujan was an Indian [i] mathematician [i] and one of the greatest mathema ... 

     t-function and which is the 24th power of the Dedekind eta function Dedekind eta function

    The Dedekind eta function, named after Richard Dedekind [i], is a function defined on the upper half-plane [i] ... 

    . This fact is related to a constellation of interesting appearances of the number twelve in mathematics ranging from the value of the Riemann zeta function Riemann zeta function

    In mathematics [i], the Riemann zeta function, named after Bernhard Riemann [i], is a function [i] ... 

     function at -1 i.e. ?=-1/12, the fact that the abelianization of SL has twelve elements, and even the properties of lattice polygons.


  • Twelve is a sublime number, a number that has a perfect number of factors, and the sum of its factors is also a perfect number

Geometry



It is possible to construct a perfect circle divided into twelve sectors of 30 degrees each, using only a compass and straightedge.

  1. Using a compass, construct a simple circle.
  2. Taking care not to change the radius setting, draw a second circle with center anywhere on the perimeter of the first.
  3. Now go to the two points where the second circle crosses the first, and draw two more circles from these centers.
  4. Continue this process to draw the final three circles, working your way around the perimeter of the first.
  5. Finally connect the center of the original circle with all other points of intersection, using a straightedge.

You now have twelve radial lines emanating from the center, separated by twelve 30-degree sectors, all constructed from seven equal-sized circles.

In numeral systems

Arabic Armenian
Greek Greek
HebrewV20-Z1-Z1 Egyptian
Indian Chinese character Chinese character

A Chinese character is a logogram [i] used in writing Chinese [i], Japanese [i] ... 

Tamil Roman and Etruscan
Thai Chuvash

In science

  • The atomic number of magnesium Magnesium

    Magnesium is the chemical element [i] in the periodic table [i] that has the symbol Mg and atomic number [i] ... 

  • There are twelve cranial nerves Cranial nerves

    Cranial nerves are nerve [i]s that emerge from the brainstem [i] instead of the spinal cord [i]. ... 

  • The duodenum  is the first part of the intestine that is about twelve inches long.
  • Force 12 on the Beaufort wind force scale corresponds to the minimum wind speed of a hurricane.

Astronomy

  • Messier object Messier object

    The Messier objects are a set of astronomical object [i]s catalogued by Charles Messier [i] in his catal ... 

     M12 Messier 12

    Globular Cluster M12 is a globular cluster [i] in the constellation [i] Ophiuchus [i]. ... 

    , a magnitude 8.0 globular cluster Globular cluster

    A globular cluster is a spherical [i] collection of star [i]s that orbits a galactic core [i] ... 

     in the constellation Ophiuchus Ophiuchus

    Ophiuchus is one of the 88 constellation [i]s, and was also one of the 48 listed by Ptolemy [i]. ... 

  • The New General Catalogue New General Catalogue

    The New General Catalogue is the best-known catalogue [i] of deep sky objects [i] ... 

      NGC 12, a magnitude 13.1 spiral galaxy Spiral galaxy

    A spiral galaxy is a type of galaxy [i] in the Hubble sequence [i] which is charac ... 

     in the constellation Constellation

    A constellation is any one of the 88 areas into which the sky - or the celestial sphere [i] - is divided ... 

     Pisces
  • The Saros Saros cycle

    The Saros cycle is an eclipse cycle [i]. ... 

      of the solar eclipse Solar eclipse

    A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon [i] passes between Earth [i] and the Sun [i], thereby totally or pa ... 

     series which began on -2680 August 8 and ended on -1129 February 25. The duration of Saros series 12 was 1550.5 years, and it contained 87 solar eclipses.
  • The Saros of the lunar eclipse Lunar eclipse

    An eclipse [i] refers to the phenomenon of one body passing into the shadow cast by another body. ... 

     series which began on -2360 May 28 and ended on -1062 July 17. The duration of Saros series 12 was 1298.1 years, and it contained 73 lunar eclipses.
  • The 12th moon of Jupiter Jupiter

    Jupiter is the fifth planet [i] from the Sun [i] and the largest [i] within the solar system [i] ... 

     is Lysithea.

In religion

  • The biblical Jacob Jacob

    Jacob or Ya'akov, , also known as Israel , is the third Biblical [i] patriarch [i]. ... 

     had 12 sons, who were the progenitors of the Twelve Tribes of Israel Israelite

    An Israelite is a member of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, descended from the twelve sons of the Bib... 

  • In traditional Jewish practice, a girl becomes a bat mitzvah on her twelfth birthday
  • The New Testament New Testament

    The New Testament , sometimes called the Greek Testament or Greek Scriptures, and sometimes ... 

     describes twelve apostles Twelve Apostles

    The Twelve Apostles were men that according to the Synoptic Gospels [i] and Christian [i] tradition, wer ... 

     of Jesus Jesus

    Jesus,Some of the historians and Biblical scholars who place the birth and death of Jesus within this ra... 

  • In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

    The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the LDS Church or the Mormon C... 

    , there is a Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

    In Mormonism [i], the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is one of the governing bodies of church hierarchy i ... 

  • The Book of Revelation Book of Revelation

    [i] of John is the last [[Biblical canon|canonical book]... 

     12:1 mentions a woman — usually interpreted as Virgin Mary Blessed Virgin Mary

    The Blessed Virgin Mary, sometimes shortened to The Blessed Virgin, is a traditional title specifi... 

     — wearing a crown of twelve stars
  • In Shi'a Islam Shi'a Islam

    Shi'a Islam, also Shi'ite Islam, Shiite or Shi'ism is the second largest denominatio... 

    , there are twelve Imams. These twelve early leaders of Islam are—Ali Ali

    Ali ibn Abi ?alib? was an early Islam [i]ic leader.... 

    , Hasan, Husayn, and nine of Husayn's descendants
  • There are 12 days of Christmas. The song Twelve Days of Christmas came from the traditional practice of extending Yuletide celebrations over the twelve days from Christmas Christmas

    Christmas is a holiday [i] on the Christian [i] calendar, celebrating the birth of Jesus [i]. ... 

     day to the eve of Epiphany; the period of thirteen days including Epiphany is sometimes known as Christmastide
  • Twelfth Night is another name for the 12th day of Christmas or January 5
  • There are 12,000 people sealed from each of the twelve tribes of Judah in the Book of Revelation prophecies
  • Eastern Orthodoxy observes 12 Great Feasts
  • In Ancient Greek religion, the Twelve Olympians Twelve Olympians

    * Family tree of the Greek gods [i]

... 

 were the principal gods of the pantheon

In time

  • There are twelve months in a year.
  • The Western zodiac Zodiac

    The term zodiac denotes several places where a circle of twelve animals occurs.... 

     has twelve signs, as does the Chinese zodiac.
  • The Chinese use a 12 year cycle for time-reckoning called Earthly Branches Earthly Branches

    The Earthly Branches provide one Chinese system for reckoning time [i].

... 

.
  • There are twenty-four hours in a day in all, with twelve hours for a half a day. The hours are numbered from one to twelve for both the ante meridiem half of the day and the post meridiem half of the day. 12:00 after a.m. and before p.m. is noon, and 12:00 after p.m. and before a.m. is midnight. A new day is considered to start with the stroke of midnight. Furthermore, the basic units of time can all perfectly divide by twelve.
  • The minute hand of a clock face turns twelve times as fast as the hour hand.

In sports

  • In rugby union Rugby union

    Rugby union is a variant of rugby football [i]. ... 

     one of the centres, most often but not always the inside centre, wears the 12 shirt.
  • The jersey number of American football American football

    American football, known in the United States [i] and Canada [i] simply as football, is a competit ... 

     quarterback Quarterback

    The quarterback is a position [i] in the offensive [i] ... 

     Roger Staubach and hockey player Sid Abel.
  • In both soccer Football

    Football is the name given to a number of different, but related, team sport [i]s. ... 

     and American Football American football

    American football, known in the United States [i] and Canada [i] simply as football, is a competit ... 

    , the number 12 a symbolic reference to the fans because of the support they give to the 11 players on the field. Bayern Munich FC Bayern Munich

    [i] [[List of football clubs in Germany|club]... 

    , for example, does not allow field players to wear the number 12 on their jersey Jersey

    The Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown dependency [i] off the coast of Normandy [i], France [i].... 

     because it is reserved for their supporters.

In technology

  • ASCII ASCII

    ASCII , generally pronounced [i] , is a character encoding [i] based on the English alphabet [i] ... 

     and Unicode Unicode

    Unicode is an industry standard [i] designed to allow text [i] and symbols from all of the writing systems [i] ... 

     code point for form feed.
  • The number of function key Function key

    A function key is a key on a computer [i] or terminal [i] keyboard [i] ... 

    s on most PC keyboards
  • The number of dialling keys in any standard digital telephone
  • Microsoft's Rich Text Format Rich Text Format

    The Rich Text Format is a proprietary [i] document file format [i] developed and o ... 

     specification assigns numbers congruent to 12 mod 256 to variants of the French language French language

    French is the third-largest of the Romance languages [i] in terms of number of native speakers, after Spanish [i] ... 

    .

In the arts


Film

Movies with the number twelve or its variations in their titles include
  • The Dirty Dozen The Dirty Dozen

    The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 [i] war film [i] directed by Robert Aldrich [i] from the nove... 

  • 12 Monkeys Twelve Monkeys

    Twelve Monkeys is a 1995 [i] science fiction film [i] written by David [i] ... 

  • Ocean's Twelve Ocean's Twelve

    Ocean's Twelve is a 2004 film [i] that takes place after the events of the 2001 movie Ocean's Eleven [i]... 

  • Twelve Chairs The Twelve Chairs

    The Twelve Chairs is a famous satirical novel by the Soviet authors Ilf and Petrov [i]. ... 

  • 12 Angry Men 12 Angry Men

    12 Angry Men is a film produced in 1957, which tells the story of twelve jurors bound by the accepta... 

  • Cheaper by the Dozen

Theatre

  • Twelfth Night is a comedy by William Shakespeare William Shakespeare

    William Shakespeare was an English [i] poet [i] and playwright [i] widely regarded as the great ... 



Music

  • Twelve is the number of pitch classes in an octave, not counting the duplicated pitch. Also, the total number of major keys, and the total number of minor keys . This applies only to twelve tone equal temperament, the most common tuning used today in western influenced music.
  • The twelfth is the interval of an octave and a fifth. Instruments such as the clarinet Clarinet

    The clarinet is a musical instrument [i] in the woodwind [i] family. ... 

     which behave as a stopped cylindrical pipe overblow at the twelfth.
  • The twelve-tone technique Twelve-tone technique

    Twelve-tone technique is a method of musical composition [i] devised by Arnold Schoenberg [i] ... 

      is a method of musical composition devised by Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg

    Arnold Franz Walter Schoenberg , was an Austria [i]n and later American [i] composer [i]. ... 

    . Music using the technique is called twelve-tone music.
  • Twelfth Night is a progressive rock band

Games

  • Twelve is a character in the Street Fighter video game


  • The roman form of 12 is used as the symbol of the organisation MJ12 in the Deus Ex Deus Ex

    [i] developed by [[Ion Storm Inc.]... 

     computer game.

In other fields


  • There are 12 ounces in a troy pound , and 12 constellations in the ecliptic .
  • In the former British currency system, there were twelve pence Old pence

    Old pence is the term used in the United Kingdom [i] to describe the pre-decimalisation [i] unit of curr ... 

     in a shilling Shilling

    The shilling was an English coin first issued in 1548 [i] for Henry VIII [i], alt ... 

    .
  • In astrology Astrology

    Astrology is a group of system [i]s, tradition [i]s, and belief [i]s in which knowledge of the relative ... 

    , Pisces is the 12th sign of the Zodiac Zodiac

    The term zodiac denotes several places where a circle of twelve animals occurs.... 

    .
  • In Greek mythology Greek mythology

    Greek mythology consists in part of a large collection of narratives that explain the origins of the wo... 

    , the number of labours Heracles

    In Greek mythology [i], Heracles or Herakles was a divine hero [i], the son of Zeus [i] and ... 

     of Heracles Heracles

    In Greek mythology [i], Heracles or Herakles was a divine hero [i], the son of Zeus [i] and ... 

     .
  • The number of dan grades in judo Judo

    Judo is a martial art [i], combat sport [i], and philosophy [i] which originated in Japan [i]. ... 

    .
  • In English, twelve is the number of greatest magnitude that has just one syllable Syllable

    A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech [i] sounds. ... 

    .
  • There are normally twelve pairs of rib Rib

    In anatomy [i], ribs are the long curved bone [i]s which form the rib cage. ... 

    s in the human body.
  • Twelve stars are featured on the European flag European flag

    The European flag consists of a circle of twelve golden stars on a blue background.... 

    .
  • In the United States United States

    The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

    , twelve people are appointed to sit on a jury for felony trials in all but four states, and in federal and D.C. Washington, D.C.

    Washington, D.C. is the capital [i] city [i] of the United States of America [i]. ... 

     courts. The number of jurors in the movie gave the title to the film 12 Angry Men 12 Angry Men

    12 Angry Men is a film produced in 1957, which tells the story of twelve jurors bound by the accepta... 

    .
  • Twelve men have walked on the Earth's moon.
  • The United States of America United States

    The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

     is divided into twelve Federal Reserve Federal Reserve System

    The Federal Reserve System is the central banking system [i] of the United States [i].

... 

 Districts ; American paper currency has serial numbers beginning with one of twelve different letters, A through L, representing the Federal Reserve Bank from which the currency originated.
  • In tarot, card no. 12 is "the Hanged Man"

Historical years

12 A.D., 12 B.C., 1912, 2012, etc.

See also

  • The Twelfth The Twelfth

    The Twelfth is an annual Protestant [i] celebration on 12 July, originating in Ireland [i]. ... 



References

  • Lattice Polygons and the Number 12, Bjorn Poonen, Fernando Rodriguez-Villegas, American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 107, No. 3 , pp. 238-250

External links

  • Article on the number 12




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