Narcissistic Number Checker

Check if a number equals the sum of its digits raised to the digit count.

Result

Yes
370

How it is calculated

The tool takes the number you typed as a string of whole digits and counts them: len. It then adds up each digit raised to the power of that count, sum = d₁^len + d₂^len + … + d_len^len. If sum equals the number, the answer is Yes, otherwise No. The sum is always shown, so a near miss is visible: 154 gives 190. It is printed as plain digits with no thousands separator (9474, not 9,474), so you can set it beside the number you typed. The input must be a whole number: a decimal such as 153.4 and any negative number give no result, as does a number above 9,007,199,254,740,992 (2⁵³). Zero and every single-digit number pass, because a digit to the power of 1 is itself. The check works in base 10 only.

Worked example

Check 370. It has 3 digits, so every digit is cubed: 3³ = 27, 7³ = 343 and 0³ = 0. Add them: 27 + 343 + 0 = 370. The digit power sum equals the number itself, so the answer is Yes: 370 is a narcissistic number. Try 371 as a neighbour: 27 + 343 + 1 = 371, which also matches, whereas 372 gives 27 + 343 + 8 = 378 and fails.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Using the wrong power. The exponent is the number of digits of the number, not always 3. For 9474 it is 4: 9⁴ + 4⁴ + 7⁴ + 4⁴ = 9474.
  • Typing a decimal such as 153.4 and expecting a verdict. Only whole numbers are tested, so a fractional value gives no result.
  • Entering a negative number such as -153. The tool gives no result for negatives instead of testing the digits.
  • Believing a digit sum that is close to the number counts. Only an exact match passes: 154 produces 190, which is not 154.
  • Forgetting that single digits are narcissistic. 0 to 9 all return Yes, because each equals itself to the first power.

About this calculator

A narcissistic number (also called an Armstrong number or plus perfect number) is a number that equals the sum of its own digits, each raised to the power of the digit count. For example, 153 has 3 digits, and 1³ + 5³ + 3³ = 1 + 125 + 27 = 153 — the number is rebuilt entirely from its own digits. Single-digit numbers (0-9) are trivially narcissistic since any digit to the power of 1 is itself, and beyond those the next examples are 153, 370, 371 and 407 in base 10.

These numbers are a classic topic in recreational mathematics and a favorite first coding exercise, since checking one requires nothing more than splitting a number into digits, raising each to a power and summing — a nice loop-and-modulo exercise for students learning any programming language. They have no deep number-theoretic significance but are popular in math clubs, puzzle sites and programming interview practice.

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