101 (number)

They usually describe or discuss a list of items, such as 101 Ways to... or 101 Questions and Answers About... .

This marketing tool is used to imply that the customer is given a little extra information beyond books that include only 100 items.

In the book 1984, written by George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair), Room 101 is a designated room used for torture by the Thought Police of Oceania, where the greatest fear known to the Thought Police is unleashed upon the victim.

[11][12][13] This common numbering system was designed to make transfer between colleges easier.

[12][13] Based on this usage, the term "101" (pronounced /ˌwʌnoʊˈwʌn/ WUN-oh-WUN) has gained a slang sense referring to basic knowledge of a topic or a collection of introductory materials to a topic, as in the sentence, "Boiling potatoes is Cooking 101".

[13] The Oxford English Dictionary records the usage of "101" in this slang sense from 1986.