ISBN and its parts

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It is a unique numerical identifier assigned to books, pamphlets, educational kits, microforms, and other monographic publications. The ISBN is used to identify and track books, making it easier to manage inventory, sales, and other book-related information. The standard ISBN is a 13-digit number, although older books may have a 10-digit ISBN. ISBNs are typically printed on the back cover or copyright page of a book.

The standard ISBN is a 13-digit number that is divided into five parts:

1. Prefix element - The prefix element identifies the product type and/or country/language group of the publisher. It can be either 978 or 979.
2. Registration group element - The registration group element identifies the country, geographic region, or language area of the publisher.
3. Registrant element - The registrant element identifies the publisher or imprint.
4. Publication element - The publication element identifies the specific title, edition, and format of the publication.
5. Check digit - The final digit of the ISBN is a check digit, which is calculated using a mathematical formula and is used to verify the accuracy of the ISBN.

For example, the ISBN for the book "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee is 978-0-446-31078-0. Here is how the number is broken down:

1. Prefix element: 978
2. Registration group element: 0
3. Registrant element: 446
4. Publication element: 31078
5. Check digit: 0

Each element is separated by a hyphen (-).