4 (number)

4 (four; /ˈfɔər/) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. Four is the only number that has the same number of characters as its value in the English language.

In mathematics

Four is the smallest composite number, its proper divisors being 1 and 2. Four is also a highly composite number. The next highly composite number is 6.

Four is the second square number, the second centered triangular number.

4 is the smallest squared prime (p²) and the only even number in this form. It has an aliquot sum of 3 which is itself prime. The aliquot sequence of 4 has 4 members (4, 3, 1, 0) and is accordingly the first member of the 3-aliquot tree.

A number is a multiple of 4 if its last two digits are a multiple of 4. For example, 1092 is a multiple of 4 because 92 = 4 × 23.

Only one number has an aliquot sum of 4 and that is squared prime 9.

The prime factorization of four is two times two.

Four is the smallest composite number that is equal to the sum of its prime factors. (As a consequence of this, it is the smallest Smith number). However, it is the only composite number n for which (n − 1)! ≡ 0 (mod n) is false.

Number Four

Number Four may refer to:

Number

A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The original examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, and so forth. A notational symbol that represents a number is called a numeral. In addition to their use in counting and measuring, numerals are often used for labels (as with telephone numbers), for ordering (as with serial numbers), and for codes (as with ISBNs). In common usage, the term number may refer to a symbol, a word, or a mathematical abstraction.

In mathematics, the notion of number has been extended over the centuries to include 0, negative numbers, rational numbers such as and , real numbers such as and , complex numbers, which extend the real numbers by including , and sometimes additional objects. Calculations with numbers are done with arithmetical operations, the most familiar being addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and exponentiation. Their study or usage is called arithmetic. The same term may also refer to number theory, the study of the properties of the natural numbers.

Nursery rhyme

A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the late 18th /early 19th century. In North America the term Mother Goose Rhymes, introduced in the mid-18th century, is still often used.

History

Lullabies

The oldest children's songs of which we have records are lullabies, intended to help a child sleep. Lullabies can be found in every human culture. The English term lullaby is thought to come from "lu, lu" or "la la" sound made by mothers or nurses to calm children, and "by by" or "bye bye", either another lulling sound, or a term for good night. Until the modern era lullabies were usually only recorded incidentally in written sources. The Roman nurses' lullaby, "Lalla, Lalla, Lalla, aut dormi, aut lacta", is recorded in a scholium on Persius and may be the oldest to survive.

Many medieval English verses associated with the birth of Jesus take the form of a lullaby, including "Lullay, my liking, my dere son, my sweting" and may be versions of contemporary lullabies. However, most of those used today date from the 17th century. For example, a well known lullaby such as "Rock-a-bye, baby on a tree top", cannot be found in records until the late-18th century when it was printed by John Newbery (c. 1765).

Late Night Tales

Late Night Tales and its predecessor Another Late Night are the names of two related series of artist curated compilation albums released since 2001 on the UK independent record label Night Time Stories Ltd. Both series were started by the author A.W. Wilde. The tracks on the albums are selected and mixed by a diverse selection of artists asked by Late Night Tales to create the ultimate late night mix. Many of the albums end with a story track, read by famous English performers including Benedict Cumberbatch,Will Self, Brian Blessed and Patrick Moore. With the exception of Jamiroquai, Air and Bill Brewster's contributions, each release includes a cover version recorded by the artist(s).

The series has been met with critical acclaim, with GQ Magazine praising Late Night Tales as "The Rolls Royce of compilations". 2011 saw the label celebrate their 10th anniversary with a box set including all albums to date.Friendly Fires' compilation released in November 2012 marked the 30th in the series.