28 (number) - in Other Fields

In Other Fields

Twenty-eight is:

• An abbreviation for such years as 1928 and 2028.
• In Gematriya, the system of Hebrew Numerology, the number 28 corresponds to the word koakh, meaning "power", "energy".
• The number of wheels on a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy.

• The number of days in the shortest month of the Gregorian calendar, February (except in leap years, when there are twenty-nine). All twelve months of the Gregorian calendar have at least 28 days, regardless of the year.
• The Gregorian calendar follows a 28-year cycle for the most part, since there are seven days in a week and leap year generally occurs every four years; usually, a calendar from any year is the same as that from 28 years earlier (e.g., 2008 and 1980 or 2009 and 2037). However, that rule holds only when there have been exactly seven leap days in a 28-year interval; years divisible by 100 but not by 400 are not leap years. Indeed, 1900 (as well as 2100, 2200, etc.) does not use the same calendar as 1872 (2072, 2172, etc., respectively) for the simple reason that 1900 is not a leap year. In 28 years, any day-of-the-week and date combination occurs exactly four times. February 29 will fall on each day of the week once.
• In Jewish tradition there is a 28 year solar cycle in which the sun returns to its place in

Creation every 28 solar years. This is commemorated in April every 28 years with the recitation of Birkat Hachama, the blessing of the sun.

• The common name for the parrot 'Barnardius zonarius semitorquatus', widely distributed in Western Australia and South Australia. Its call sounds like "wenniate".
• The number of letters in the Danish and Swedish alphabets (not counting W), and also in the Arabic and Esperanto alphabets.
• In neo-Nazi circles, twenty-eight indicates Blood and Honour (28 = BH - B - second letter of the alphabet and H - the eight letter).
• The number of Chinese constellations, "Xiu" or "mansions" (a literal translation), equivalent to the 12 western zodiac constellations.
• The number of dominoes in standard domino sets.
• Deriving from the 29.46 year period of Saturn's revolution around the Sun, the 28-year cycle as well as its subdivisions by 14 and 7 are supposed in Astrology to mark significant turning points or sections in the course of a persons development in life. Thus, the number 28 has special significance in the culture of religious sects such as the Kadiri and the Mevlevi dervishes. The 28-beat metric pattern often used in the music compositions accompanying the main part of the Mevlevi sema ritual is called the "Devri kebir", meaning the "Big Circle" and is a reference to above astronomical facts about the year and the Saturn year.
• In Quebec, François Pérusse, in one of his best-selling Album du peuple made a parody of Wheel of Fortune in which all of the letters picked by the contestant were present 28 times. As a result, 28 became an almost Mythical number used by many Quebec youths, the phrase "Y'en a 28" (There are 28 ) became a running gag still used and recognized more than 15 years later.
• The Preludes, Opus 28 consists of Frédéric Chopin's 24 preludes for piano, ordinarily but not necessarily played together in concert.
• The postal code of the province of Madrid, in Spain.
• Twenty Eight is a popular game played in Kerala India.
• The number of the French department Eure-et-Loir.
• Approximately the number of grams in an ounce, and used as such in the illegal drug trade.