3 (three) is a
number,
numeral and
digit. It is the
natural number following
2 and preceding
4, and is the smallest odd
prime number and the only prime preceding a
square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societies.
Evolution of the Arabic digit
The use of three lines to denote the number 3 occurred in many writing systems, including some (like Roman and
Chinese numerals
Chinese numerals are words and characters used to denote numbers in Chinese.
Today, speakers of Chinese use three written numeral systems: the system of Arabic numerals used worldwide, and two indigenous systems. The more familiar indigenous sy ...
) that are still in use. That was also the original representation of 3 in the
Brahmic
The Brahmic scripts, also known as Indic scripts, are a family of abugida writing systems. They are used throughout the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and parts of East Asia. They are descended from the Brahmi script of ancient In ...
(Indian) numerical notation, its earliest forms aligned vertically.
However, during the
Gupta Empire the sign was modified by the addition of a curve on each line. The
Nāgarī script
The Nāgarī script or Northern Nagari of Kashi is the ancestor of Devanagari, Nandinagari and other variants, and was first used to write Prakrit and Sanskrit. The term is sometimes used as a synonym for Devanagari script.Kathleen Kuiper (2 ...
rotated the lines clockwise, so they appeared horizontally, and ended each line with a short downward stroke on the right. In cursive script, the three strokes were eventually connected to form a glyph resembling a with an additional stroke at the bottom: ३.
The Indian digits spread to the
Caliphate
A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
in the 9th century. The bottom stroke was dropped around the 10th century in the western parts of the Caliphate, such as the
Maghreb and
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label= Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, al-Ándalus () was the Mu ...
, when a distinct variant ("Western Arabic") of the digit symbols developed, including modern Western 3. In contrast, the Eastern Arabs retained and enlarged that stroke, rotating the digit once more to yield the modern ("Eastern")
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...
digit "٣".
In most modern Western
typefaces, the digit 3, like the other
decimal digit
A numerical digit (often shortened to just digit) is a single symbol used alone (such as "2") or in combinations (such as "25"), to represent numbers in a positional numeral system. The name "digit" comes from the fact that the ten digits ( Lati ...
s, has the height of a
capital letter
Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...
, and sits on the
baseline. In typefaces with
text figures, on the other hand, the glyph usually has the height of a
lowercase letter
Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...
"x" and a
descender: "
". In some
French text-figure typefaces, though, it has an
ascender instead of a descender.
A common graphic variant of the digit three has a flat top, similar to the letter
Ʒ (ezh). This form is sometimes used to prevent falsifying a 3 as an 8. It is found on
UPC-A
The Universal Product Code (UPC or UPC code) is a barcode symbology that is widely used worldwide for tracking trade items in stores.
UPC (technically refers to UPC-A) consists of 12 digits that are uniquely assigned to each trade item. Along ...
barcodes and
standard 52-card deck
The standard 52-card deck of French-suited playing cards is the most common pack of playing cards used today. In English-speaking countries it is the only traditional pack used for playing cards; in many countries of the world, however, it is used ...
s.
Mathematics
3 is the second smallest
prime number and the first
odd prime number. It is the first
unique prime
The reciprocals of prime numbers have been of interest to mathematicians for various reasons. They do not have a finite sum, as Leonhard Euler proved in 1737.
Like all rational numbers, the reciprocals of primes have repeating decimal represen ...
, such that the
period length
A periodic function is a function that repeats its values at regular intervals. For example, the trigonometric functions, which repeat at intervals of 2\pi radians, are periodic functions. Periodic functions are used throughout science to desc ...
value of
1 of the
decimal expansion
A decimal representation of a non-negative real number is its expression as a sequence of symbols consisting of decimal digits traditionally written with a single separator:
r = b_k b_\ldots b_0.a_1a_2\ldots
Here is the decimal separator, ...
of its
reciprocal
Reciprocal may refer to:
In mathematics
* Multiplicative inverse, in mathematics, the number 1/''x'', which multiplied by ''x'' gives the product 1, also known as a ''reciprocal''
* Reciprocal polynomial, a polynomial obtained from another pol ...
, 0.333..., is unique. 3 is a
twin prime with
5, and a
cousin prime with
7, and the only known number
such that
! - 1 and
! + 1 are prime, as well as the only prime number
such that
- 1 yields another prime number,
2. A
triangle is made of three
sides. It is the smallest non-self-intersecting
polygon and the only polygon not to have proper
diagonals
In geometry, a diagonal is a line segment joining two vertices of a polygon or polyhedron, when those vertices are not on the same edge. Informally, any sloping line is called diagonal. The word ''diagonal'' derives from the ancient Greek δ ...
. When doing quick estimates, 3 is a rough approximation of
, 3.1415..., and a very rough approximation of
''e'', 2.71828...
3 is the first
Mersenne prime, as well as the second Mersenne prime exponent and the second
double Mersenne prime exponent, for 7 and
127, respectively. 3 is also the first of five known
Fermat primes, which include 5,
17,
257, and
65537
65537 is the integer after 65536 and before 65538.
In mathematics
65537 is the largest known prime number of the form 2^ +1 (n = 4). Therefore, a regular polygon with 65537 sides is constructible with compass and unmarked straightedge. Johann ...
. It is the second
Fibonacci prime
A Fibonacci prime is a Fibonacci number that is prime, a type of integer sequence prime.
The first Fibonacci primes are :
: 2, 3, 5, 13, 89, 233, 1597, 28657, 514229, 433494437, 2971215073, ....
Known Fibonacci primes
It is not known whet ...
(and the second
Lucas prime
The Lucas numbers or Lucas series are an integer sequence named after the mathematician François Édouard Anatole Lucas (1842–1891), who studied both that sequence and the closely related Fibonacci numbers. Lucas numbers and Fibonacci nu ...
), the second
Sophie Germain prime, and the second
factorial prime
A factorial prime is a prime number that is one less or one more than a factorial (all factorials greater than 1 are even).
The first 10 factorial primes (for ''n'' = 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14) are :
: 2 (0! +& ...
, as it is equal to 2! + 1.
3 is the second and only prime
triangular number
A triangular number or triangle number counts objects arranged in an equilateral triangle. Triangular numbers are a type of figurate number, other examples being square numbers and cube numbers. The th triangular number is the number of dots in ...
, and
Gauss
Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss (; german: Gauß ; la, Carolus Fridericus Gauss; 30 April 177723 February 1855) was a German mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to many fields in mathematics and science. Sometimes refer ...
proved that every integer is the sum of at most 3
triangular numbers
A triangular number or triangle number counts objects arranged in an equilateral triangle. Triangular numbers are a type of figurate number, other examples being square numbers and cube numbers. The th triangular number is the number of dots in ...
.
3 is the number of non-collinear points needed to determine a
plane
Plane(s) most often refers to:
* Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft
* Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface
Plane or planes may also refer to:
Biology
* Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant
* ''Planes' ...
and a
circle
A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is con ...
.
Three is the only prime which is one less than a
perfect square. Any other number which is
− 1 for some integer
is not prime, since it is (
− 1)(
+ 1). This is true for 3 as well (with
= 2), but in this case the smaller factor is 1. If
is greater than 2, both
− 1 and
+ 1 are greater than 1 so their product is not prime.
A
natural number is
divisible
In mathematics, a divisor of an integer n, also called a factor of n, is an integer m that may be multiplied by some integer to produce n. In this case, one also says that n is a multiple of m. An integer n is divisible or evenly divisible by ...
by three if the
sum of its digits in
base 10
The decimal numeral system (also called the base-ten positional numeral system and denary or decanary) is the standard system for denoting integer and non-integer numbers. It is the extension to non-integer numbers of the Hindu–Arabic numeral ...
is divisible by 3. For example, the number 21 is divisible by three (3 times 7) and the sum of its digits is 2 + 1 = 3. Because of this, the reverse of any number that is divisible by three (or indeed, any
permutation
In mathematics, a permutation of a set is, loosely speaking, an arrangement of its members into a sequence or linear order, or if the set is already ordered, a rearrangement of its elements. The word "permutation" also refers to the act or pr ...
of its digits) is also divisible by three. For instance, 1368 and its reverse 8631 are both divisible by three (and so are 1386, 3168, 3186, 3618, etc.). See also
Divisibility rule. This works in
base 10
The decimal numeral system (also called the base-ten positional numeral system and denary or decanary) is the standard system for denoting integer and non-integer numbers. It is the extension to non-integer numbers of the Hindu–Arabic numeral ...
and in any
positional numeral system whose
base divided by three leaves a remainder of one (bases 4, 7, 10, etc.).
Three of the five
Platonic solids have triangular faces – the
tetrahedron, the
octahedron, and the
icosahedron. Also, three of the five Platonic solids have
vertices where three faces meet – the
tetrahedron, the
hexahedron (
cube), and the
dodecahedron. Furthermore, only three different types of
polygons
In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed '' polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two ...
comprise the faces of the five Platonic solids – the
triangle, the
square, and the
pentagon.
There are only three distinct 4×4
panmagic square A pandiagonal magic square or panmagic square (also diabolic square, diabolical square or diabolical magic square) is a magic square with the additional property that the broken diagonals, i.e. the diagonals that wrap round at the edges of the squa ...
s.
According to
Pythagoras and the
Pythagorean school, the number 3, which they called ''triad'', is the noblest of all digits, as it is the only number to equal the sum of all the terms below it, and the only number whose sum with those below equals the product of them and itself.
There are three finite convex
uniform polytope groups in three dimensions, aside from the infinite families of
prisms
Prism usually refers to:
* Prism (optics), a transparent optical component with flat surfaces that refract light
* Prism (geometry), a kind of polyhedron
Prism may also refer to:
Science and mathematics
* Prism (geology), a type of sedimentar ...
and
antiprisms
In geometry, an antiprism or is a polyhedron composed of two parallel direct copies (not mirror images) of an polygon, connected by an alternating band of triangles. They are represented by the Conway notation .
Antiprisms are a subclass o ...
: the
tetrahedral group
150px, A regular tetrahedron, an example of a solid with full tetrahedral symmetry
A regular tetrahedron has 12 rotational (or orientation-preserving) symmetries, and a symmetry order of 24 including transformations that combine a reflection a ...
, the
octahedral group, and the
icosahedral group. In dimensions
⩾ 5, there are only three regular polytopes: the
-
simplexes,
-
cubes, and
-
orthoplexes. In dimensions
⩾
9, the only three uniform polytope families, aside from the numerous infinite
proprism
In geometry of 4 dimensions or higher, a proprism is a polytope resulting from the Cartesian product of two or more polytopes, each of two dimensions or higher. The term was coined by John Horton Conway for ''product prism''. The dimension of the s ...
atic families, are the
simplex,
cubic, and
demihypercubic families. For
paracompact hyperbolic honeycombs, there are three groups in
dimensions
6 and
9, or equivalently of ranks 7 and 10, with no other forms in higher dimensions. Of the final three groups, the largest and most important is
, that is associated with an important
Kac–Moody Lie algebra .
The
trisection of the angle
Angle trisection is a classical problem of straightedge and compass construction of ancient Greek mathematics. It concerns construction of an angle equal to one third of a given arbitrary angle, using only two tools: an unmarked straightedge and ...
was one of the three famous problems of antiquity.
Numeral systems
There is some evidence to suggest that early man may have used counting systems which consisted of "One, Two, Three" and thereafter "Many" to describe counting limits. Early peoples had a word to describe the quantities of one, two, and three but any quantity beyond was simply denoted as "Many". This is most likely based on the prevalence of this phenomenon among people in such disparate regions as the deep Amazon and Borneo jungles, where western civilization's explorers have historical records of their first encounters with these indigenous people.
List of basic calculations
Science
*The Roman numeral III stands for
giant star in the
Yerkes spectral classification scheme.
*Three is the
atomic number
The atomic number or nuclear charge number (symbol ''Z'') of a chemical element is the charge number of an atomic nucleus. For ordinary nuclei, this is equal to the proton number (''n''p) or the number of protons found in the nucleus of every ...
of
lithium.
*Three is the
ASCII
ASCII ( ), abbreviated from American Standard Code for Information Interchange, is a character encoding standard for electronic communication. ASCII codes represent text in computers, telecommunications equipment, and other devices. Because of ...
code of "
End of Text
The End-of-Text character (ETX) is a control character used to inform the receiving computer that the end of a record has been reached. This may or may not be an indication that all of the data in a record have been received. In ASCII and in EBCD ...
".
*Three is the number of
dimensions that humans can perceive. Humans perceive the
universe to have
three spatial dimensions, but some theories, such as
string theory, suggest there are more.
*Three is the number of elementary fermion
generations
A generation is "all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively."
Generation or generations may also refer to:
Science and technology
* Generation (particle physics), a division of the elementary particles
* Gen ...
according to the
Standard Model of particle physics.
*The
triangle, a
polygon with three
edges and three
vertices, is the most stable physical shape. For this reason it is widely utilized in construction, engineering and design.
*The ability of the
human eye to distinguish
color
Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associa ...
s is based upon the varying sensitivity of different cells in the
retina to light of different
wavelengths
In physics, the wavelength is the spatial period of a periodic wave—the distance over which the wave's shape repeats.
It is the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase on the wave, such as two adjacent crests, tro ...
. Humans being
trichromatic
Trichromacy or trichromatism is the possessing of three independent channels for conveying color information, derived from the three different types of cone cells in the eye. Organisms with trichromacy are called trichromats.
The normal expla ...
, the retina contains three types of color receptor cells, or
cones
A cone is a three-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat base (frequently, though not necessarily, circular) to a point called the apex or vertex.
A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, or lines con ...
.
*There are three
primary colors in the
additive
Additive may refer to:
Mathematics
* Additive function, a function in number theory
* Additive map, a function that preserves the addition operation
* Additive set-functionn see Sigma additivity
* Additive category, a preadditive category with fi ...
and
subtractive models.
Protoscience
*In European
alchemy
Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim worl ...
, the three primes ( la, tria prima) were
salt (
),
sulfur () and
mercury ().
[Eric John Holmyard. ''Alchemy.'' 1995. p.153]
*The three
doshas (weaknesses) and their
antidote
An antidote is a substance that can counteract a form of poisoning. The term ultimately derives from the Greek term φάρμακον ἀντίδοτον ''(pharmakon) antidoton'', "(medicine) given as a remedy". Antidotes for anticoagulants are s ...
s are the basis of
Ayurvedic medicine
Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population repor ...
in India.
Pseudoscience
*Three is the symbolic representation for
Mu,
Augustus Le Plongeon
Augustus Henry Julian Le Plongeon (4 May 1825 – 13 December 1908) was a British-American archeologist and photographer who studied the pre-Columbian ruins of America, particularly those of the Maya civilization on the northern Yucatán Penins ...
's and
James Churchward
James Churchward (27 February 1851 – 4 January 1936) was a British occult writer, inventor, engineer, and fisherman.
Churchward is most notable for proposing the existence of a lost continent, called " Mu," in the Pacific Ocean. His writings ...
's lost continent.
*In Pythagorean
numerology the number 3 is the digit that represents the communication. It encourages the expansion of creativity, sociability between people and movement. For Pythagoras, the number 3 was a perfect number, representing harmony, perfection, and divine proportion.
Philosophy
*Philosophers such as
Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known w ...
,
Kant,
Hegel,
C. S. Peirce, and
Karl Popper
Sir Karl Raimund Popper (28 July 1902 – 17 September 1994) was an Austrian-British philosopher, academic and social commentator. One of the 20th century's most influential philosophers of science, Popper is known for his rejection of the c ...
have made threefold divisions, or ''
trichotomies'', which have been important in their work.
*
Hegel's
dialectic of
Thesis + Antithesis = Synthesis creates three-ness from two-ness.
Religion
Many world religions contain triple deities or concepts of trinity, including:
*The
Hindu Trimurti
*The Hindu
Tridevi
*The
Three Jewels of
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
*The
Three Pure Ones
The Three Pure Ones (), also translated as the Three Pure Pellucid Ones, the Three Pristine Ones, the Three Divine Teachers, the Three Clarities, or the Three Purities, are the three highest gods in the Taoist pantheon. They are regarded as pur ...
of
Taoism
*The
Christian Holy Trinity
*The
Triple Goddess of
Wicca
Christianity
*The
threefold office
The threefold office ( la, munus triplex) of Jesus Christ is a Christian doctrine based upon the teachings of the Old Testament of which Christians hold different views. It was described by Eusebius and more fully developed by John Calvin.
The ...
of
Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...
is a Christian doctrine which states that Christ performs the functions of
prophet,
priest, and
king.
*The
ministry of Jesus
The ministry of Jesus, in the canonical gospels, begins with his baptism in the countryside of Roman Judea and Transjordan, near the River Jordan by John the Baptist, and ends in Jerusalem, following the Last Supper with his disciples.''Chr ...
lasted approximately three years.
*During the
Agony in the Garden
The Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane is an episode in the life of Jesus. After the Last Supper, Jesus enters a garden where he experiences great anguish and prays to be delivered from his impending death on the cross ("Take this cup from me") ...
, Christ asked three times for the cup to be taken from him.
*Jesus
rose from the dead on the third day after his death.
*The
devil tempted Jesus three times.
*
Saint Peter
) (Simeon, Simon)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire
, death_date = Between AD 64–68
, death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire
, parents = John (or Jonah; Jona)
, occupation ...
thrice denied Jesus and
thrice affirmed his faith in Jesus.
*The
Magi
Magi (; singular magus ; from Latin ''magus'', cf. fa, مغ ) were priests in Zoroastrianism and the earlier religions of the western Iranians. The earliest known use of the word ''magi'' is in the trilingual inscription written by Darius the ...
– wise men who were astronomers/astrologers from Persia – gave Jesus three gifts.
*There are three
Synoptic Gospels
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in a similar sequence and in similar or sometimes identical wording. They stand in contrast to John, whose con ...
and three
epistles of John
The Johannine epistles, the Epistles of John, or the Letters of John are three of the catholic epistles of the New Testament, thought to have been written between 85 and 100 AD. Most scholars agree that all three letters are written by the same a ...
.
*
Paul the Apostle
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
went blind for three days after his
conversion to Christianity
Conversion to Christianity is the religious conversion of a previously non-Christian person to Christianity. Different Christian denominations may perform various different kinds of rituals or ceremonies initiation into their community of believ ...
.
Judaism
*
Noah had three sons:
Ham
Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term " ...
,
Shem and
Japheth
*The Three
Patriarchs
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certain ...
:
Abraham
Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jews ...
,
Isaac
Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was th ...
and
Jacob
*The prophet
Balaam
Balaam (; , Standard ''Bīlʿam'' Tiberian ''Bīlʿām'') is a diviner in the Torah (Pentateuch) whose story begins in Chapter 22 of the Book of Numbers (). Ancient references to Balaam consider him a non-Israelite, a prophet, and the son of Be ...
beat his donkey three times.
*The prophet
Jonah
Jonah or Jonas, ''Yōnā'', "dove"; gr, Ἰωνᾶς ''Iōnâs''; ar, يونس ' or '; Latin: ''Ionas'' son of Amittai, is a prophet in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran, from Gath-hepher of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th cen ...
spent three days and nights in the belly of a large fish
*Three divisions of the Written
Torah:
Torah (Five Books of Moses),
Nevi'im
Nevi'im (; he, נְבִיאִים ''Nəvīʾīm'', Tiberian: ''Năḇīʾīm,'' "Prophets", literally "spokespersons") is the second major division of the Hebrew Bible (the ''Tanakh''), lying between the Torah (instruction) and Ketuvim (wri ...
(Prophets),
Ketuvim (Writings)
*Three divisions of the Jewish people:
Kohen,
Levite
Levites (or Levi) (, he, ''Lǝvīyyīm'') are Jewish males who claim patrilineal descent from the Tribe of Levi. The Tribe of Levi descended from Levi, the third son of Jacob and Leah. The surname ''Halevi'', which consists of the Hebrew defi ...
, Yisrael
*Three daily
prayers: ''
Shacharit'', ''
Mincha'', ''
Maariv
''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or night. It consists primarily of the evening ''Shema'' and ''Amidah''.
The service will often begin with two verses from Psalms, ...
''
*Three
Shabbat meals
*Shabbat ends when three stars are visible in the night sky
*
Three Pilgrimage Festivals
The Three Pilgrimage Festivals, in Hebrew ''Shalosh Regalim'' (שלוש רגלים), are three major festivals in Judaism— Pesach (''Passover''), Shavuot (''Weeks'' or ''Pentecost''), and Sukkot (''Tabernacles'', ''Tents'' or ''Booths'')—whe ...
:
Passover,
Shavuot
(''Ḥag HaShavuot'' or ''Shavuos'')
, nickname = English: "Feast of Weeks"
, observedby = Jews and Samaritans
, type = Jewish and Samaritan
, begins = 6th day of Sivan (or the Sunday following the 6th day of Sivan in ...
,
Sukkot
*Three
matzo
Matzah or matzo ( he, מַצָּה, translit=maṣṣā'','' pl. matzot or Ashk. matzos) is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which ''chametz'' (leaven and ...
s on the
Passover Seder table
*
The Three Weeks, a period of mourning bridging the fast days of
Seventeenth of Tammuz
, observedby = Jews
, date = 17th day of Tammuz
, observances = Fasting, prayer
, type = Jewish religious and national
, significance = Date when the walls of Jerusalem were breached
, relatedto = The fasts of the Tenth of Tevet and Tisha B'Av, ...
and
Tisha B'Av
*Three cardinal sins for which a Jew must die rather than transgress:
idolatry,
murder,
sexual immorality
*
Upsherin
Upsherin, Upsheren, Opsherin or Upsherinish (Yiddish: אפשערן, lit. "shear off", Judaeo-Arabic: חלאקה, ''ḥalāqah'') is a haircutting ceremony observed by a wide cross-section of Jews and is particularly popular in Haredi Jewish c ...
, a Jewish boy's first haircut at age 3
*A
Beth din
A beit din ( he, בית דין, Bet Din, house of judgment, , Ashkenazic: ''beis din'', plural: batei din) is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel. Today, it ...
is composed of three members
*Potential
converts
Religious conversion is the adoption of a set of beliefs identified with one particular religious denomination to the exclusion of others. Thus "religious conversion" would describe the abandoning of adherence to one denomination and affiliatin ...
are traditionally turned away three times to test their sincerity
*In the
Jewish mystical
Academic study of Jewish mysticism, especially since Gershom Scholem's '' Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism'' (1941), distinguishes between different forms of mysticism across different eras of Jewish history. Of these, Kabbalah, which emerged in ...
tradition of the
Kabbalah, it is believed that
the soul consists of three parts, with the highest being ''
neshamah'' ("breath"), the middle being ''
ruach
In Judaism, the Holy Spirit ( he, רוח הקודש, ''ruach ha-kodesh'') refers to the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the universe or over God's creatures, in given contexts.Maimonides, Moses. Part II, Ch. 45: "The various cla ...
'' ("wind" or "spirit") and the lowest being ''
nefesh
A nefesh (plural: ''nefashot'') is a Semitic monument placed near a grave so as to be seen from afar.
Nabataea
In a Nabataean votive inscription from Salkhad, an Aramaic heap of stones set up in memorial is described as "for Allat and her ''w ...
'' ("repose"). Sometimes the two elements of ''Chayah'' ("life" or "animal") and ''Yechidah'' ("unit") are additionally mentioned.
*In the Kabbalah, the
Tree of Life (Hebrew: ''Etz ha-Chayim'', עץ החיים) refers to a latter 3-pillar diagrammatic representation of its central mystical symbol, known as the ''
10 Sephirot''.
Islam
*The three core principles in Shia tradition: Tawhid (Oneness of God), Nabuwwa (Concept of Prophethood), Imama (Concept of Imam)
Buddhism
*The Triple
Bodhi
The English term enlightenment is the Western translation of various Buddhist terms, most notably bodhi and vimutti. The abstract noun ''bodhi'' (; Sanskrit: बोधि; Pali: ''bodhi''), means the knowledge or wisdom, or awakened intellect, ...
(ways to understand the end of birth) are Budhu, Pasebudhu, and Mahaarahath.
*The
Three Jewels, the three things that Buddhists take
refuge in.
Shinto
*The
Imperial Regalia of Japan of the sword, mirror, and jewel.
Daoism
*The
Three Treasures (), the basic
virtues
Virtue ( la, virtus) is moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. In other words, it is a behavior that shows high moral standards ...
in
Taoism.
*The Three
Dantians
*Three Lines of a
Trigram
*
Three Sovereigns: Heaven
Fu Xi (Hand – Head – 3º Eye), Humanity
Shen Nong (
Unit 69), Hell
Nüwa (Foot – Abdomen – Umbiculus).
Hinduism
*The
Trimurti:
Brahma
Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...
the Creator,
Vishnu the Preserver, and
Shiva the Destroyer.
*The three
Gunas found in
Samkhya
''Samkhya'' or ''Sankya'' (; Sanskrit सांख्य), IAST: ') is a dualistic school of Indian philosophy. It views reality as composed of two independent principles, '' puruṣa'' ('consciousness' or spirit); and ''prakṛti'', (natu ...
school of Hindu philosophy.
*The three paths to salvation in the ''
Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (ch ...
'' named
Karma Yoga,
Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti yoga ( sa, भक्ति योग), also called Bhakti marga (, literally the path of ''Bhakti''), is a spiritual path or spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion towards any personal deity.Karen Pechelis (2014 ...
and
Jnana Yoga.
Zoroastrianism
*The three virtues of ''Humata'', ''Hukhta'' and ''Huvarshta'' (Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds) are a basic tenet in
Zoroastrianism.
Norse mythology
Three is a very significant number in
Norse mythology, along with its powers 9 and 27.
*Prior to
Ragnarök, there will be three hard winters without an intervening summer, the
Fimbulwinter
In Norse mythology, (commonly rendered in English as Fimbulwinter), is the immediate prelude to the events of Ragnarök. It means 'great winter'.
Summary
is the harsh winter that precedes the end of the world and puts an end to all life o ...
.
*Odin endured three hardships upon the World Tree in his quest for the
runes: he hanged himself, wounded himself with a spear, and suffered from hunger and thirst.
*
Bor had three sons,
Odin,
Vili, and
Vé.
Other religions
*The
Wiccan
Rule of Three Rule of three or Rule of Thirds may refer to:
Science and technology
*Rule of three (aeronautics), a rule of descent in aviation
*Rule of three (C++ programming), a rule of thumb about class method definitions
* Rule of three (computer programming ...
.
*The
Triple Goddess: Maiden, Mother, Crone; the three fates.
*The sons of
Cronus
In Ancient Greek religion and mythology, Cronus, Cronos, or Kronos ( or , from el, Κρόνος, ''Krónos'') was the leader and youngest of the first generation of Titans, the divine descendants of the primordial Gaia (Mother Earth) an ...
:
Zeus,
Poseidon, and
Hades.
*The Slavic god
Triglav
Triglav (; german: Terglau; it, Tricorno), with an elevation of , is the highest mountain in Slovenia and the highest peak of the Julian Alps. The mountain is the pre-eminent symbol of the Slovene nation. It is the centrepiece of Triglav Nat ...
has three heads.
Esoteric tradition
*The
Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, is a worldwide body with the aim to advance the ideas of Theosophy in continuation of previous Theosophists, especially the Greek and Alexandrian Neo-Platonic philosophers dating back to 3rd century CE ...
has
three conditions of membership.
*
Gurdjieff
George Ivanovich Gurdjieff (; rus, Гео́ргий Ива́нович Гурджи́ев, r=Geórgy Ivánovich Gurdzhíev, p=ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪj ɪˈvanəvʲɪd͡ʑ ɡʊrd͡ʐˈʐɨ(j)ɪf; hy, Գեորգի Իվանովիչ Գյուրջիև; c. 1 ...
's
Three Centers and the
Law of Three.
*''
Liber AL vel Legis
''Liber AL vel Legis'' (), commonly known as ''The Book of the Law'', is the central sacred text of Thelema. Aleister Crowley said that it was dictated to him by a beyond-human being who called himself 'Aiwass'. Rose Edith Kelly, Crowley's ...
'', the central scripture of the religion of
Thelema
Thelema () is a Western esotericism, Western esoteric and occult Social philosophy, social or Spirituality, spiritual philosophy and new religious movement founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), an English writer, mys ...
, consists of three chapters, corresponding to three divine narrators respectively:
Nuit,
Hadit and
Ra-Hoor-Khuit.
*The Triple Greatness of
Hermes Trismegistus
Hermes Trismegistus (from grc, Ἑρμῆς ὁ Τρισμέγιστος, "Hermes the Thrice-Greatest"; Classical Latin: la, label=none, Mercurius ter Maximus) is a legendary Hellenistic figure that originated as a syncretic combination of t ...
is an important theme in
Hermeticism.
As a lucky or unlucky number
Three (, formal writing: ,
pinyin ''sān'',
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
: ''saam''
1) is considered a
good number in
Chinese culture
Chinese culture () is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying grea ...
because it sounds like the word "alive" ( pinyin ''shēng'', Cantonese: ''saang''
1), compared to
four
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smallest ...
(, pinyin: ''sì'', Cantonese: ''sei''
1), which sounds like the word "death" ( pinyin ''sǐ'', Cantonese: ''sei''
2).
Counting to three is common in situations where a group of people wish to perform an action in
synchrony: ''Now, on the count of three, everybody pull!'' Assuming the counter is proceeding at a uniform rate, the first two counts are necessary to establish the rate, and the count of "three" is predicted based on the timing of the "one" and "two" before it. Three is likely used instead of some other number because it requires the minimal amount counts while setting a rate.
There is another superstition that it is unlucky to take a
third light, that is, to be the third person to light a cigarette from the same match or lighter. This superstition is sometimes asserted to have originated among soldiers in the trenches of the First World War when a sniper might see the first light, take aim on the second and fire on the third.
The phrase "
Third time's the charm" refers to the superstition that after two failures in any endeavor, a third attempt is more likely to succeed. This is also sometimes seen in reverse, as in "third man
o do something, presumably forbidden
O, or o, is the fifteenth letter and the fourth vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''o'' (pronounced ), pl ...
gets caught".
Luck, especially bad luck, is often said to "come in threes".
[See]
bad
in the ''Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable'', 2006, via Encyclopedia.com.
Sports
* In
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
and
Canadian football
Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area (e ...
, a
field goal is worth three points.
*In
association football:
** For purposes of league standings, since the mid-1990s almost all leagues have awarded
three points for a win.
** A team that wins three trophies in a season is said to have won a
treble.
** A player who scores three goals in a match is said to have scored a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
.
* In
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
:
** A batter
strikes out upon the third
strike
Strike may refer to:
People
* Strike (surname)
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
*Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
in any single batting appearance.
** Each team's half of an inning ends once the defense has recorded three outs (unless the home team has a
walk-off hit Walk-off may refer to:
*an event in a sporting event where the game-winning score immediately ends the game, such as a walk-off home run in baseball, a touchdown or field goal that's scored when there's no time left on the clock or during the overti ...
in the ninth inning or any extra inning).
** In scorekeeping, "3" denotes the first baseman.
*In
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
:
**
Three points are awarded for a basket made from behind a designated arc on the floor.
** The "3 position" is the
small forward.
*In
bowling
Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), thoug ...
, three
strikes
Strike may refer to:
People
* Strike (surname)
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
*Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
bowled consecutively is known as a "turkey".
* In
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
, a bowler who is credited with dismissals of batsmen on three consecutive deliveries has achieved a "hat-trick".
*In
Gaelic games (Gaelic football for
men
A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromos ...
and
women,
hurling, and
camogie
Camogie ( ; ga, camógaíocht ) is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and worldwide, largely among Irish communities.
A variant of the game of hurling (which is played by men only ...
), three points are awarded for a goal, scored when the ball passes underneath the crossbar and between the goal posts.
*In
ice hockey:
** Scoring three goals is called a "hat trick" (usually not hyphenated in North America).
** A team will typically have three
forwards on the ice at any given time.
* In
professional wrestling, a
pin
A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together.
Pin or PIN may also refer to:
Computers and technology
* Personal identification number (PIN), to access a secured system
** PIN pad, a PIN entry device
* PIN, a former Dutch ...
is when one holds the opponent's shoulders against the mat for a count of three.
* In
rugby union:
** A successful
penalty kick for goal or
drop goal is worth three points.
** In the
French variation of the
bonus points system, a team receives a bonus point in the league standings if it wins a match while scoring at least three more tries than its opponent.
** The starting
tighthead prop
In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–8) and seven backs (numbered 9–15). In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16– ...
wears the jersey number 3.
* In
rugby league:
** One of the two starting centres wears the jersey number 3. (An exception to this rule is the
Super League, which uses static squad numbering.)
*A "
threepeat" is a term for winning three consecutive championships.
*A
triathlon
A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the ...
consists of three events: swimming, bicycling, and running.
*In many sports a competitor or team is said to win a
Triple Crown
Triple Crown may refer to:
Sports Horse racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)
** Triple Crown Trophy
** Triple Crown Productions
* Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Tr ...
if they win three particularly prestigious competitions.
* In
volleyball, once the ball is served, teams are allowed to touch the ball three times before being required to return the ball to the other side of the court, with the definition of "touch" being slightly different between indoor and beach volleyball.
Film
*A number of film versions of the novel ''
The Three Musketeers
''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight f ...
'' by
Alexandre Dumas
Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer ...
: (
1921
Events
January
* January 2
** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in Brazil.
** The Spanish liner ''Santa Isabel'' bre ...
,
1933
Events
January
* January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand.
* January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...
,
1948
Events January
* January 1
** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated.
** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect.
** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...
,
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
, 1992,
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
and
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...
).
*''
3 Days of the Condor
''Three Days of the Condor'' is a 1975 American political thriller film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, and Max von Sydow. The screenplay by Lorenzo Semple Jr. and David Rayfiel was based ...
'' (1975), starring
Robert Redford,
Faye Dunaway
Dorothy Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941) is an American actress. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Faye Dunaway, many accolades, including an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden ...
,
Cliff Robertson
Clifford Parker Robertson III (September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011) was an American actor whose career in film and television spanned over six decades. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film ''PT 109'', and won the 196 ...
, and
Max von Sydow.
*''
Three Amigos
''Three Amigos'' (stylized as ''¡Three Amigos!'') is a 1986 American Western comedy film directed by John Landis, written by Lorne Michaels, Steve Martin, and Randy Newman (who also wrote the film's songs), and starring Chevy Chase, Steve Mar ...
'' (1986), comedy film starring
Steve Martin,
Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of '' Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...
, and
Martin Short
Martin Hayter Short (born March 26, 1950) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, and writer. He has received various awards including two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2019 Short became an Officer of the Order of Canada.
He ...
.
*''
Three Kings'' (1999), starring
George Clooney,
Mark Wahlberg,
Ice Cube, and
Spike Jonze.
*''
3 Days to Kill
''3 Days to Kill'' is a 2014 action thriller film directed by McG and written by Luc Besson and Adi Hasak. It stars Kevin Costner, Amber Heard, Hailee Steinfeld, Connie Nielsen, Richard Sammel, and Eriq Ebouaney. It was released on 21 February 2 ...
'' (2014), starring
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, film director and musician. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actors G ...
.
*''
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
''Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'' is a 2017 crime drama film written, directed, and co-produced by Martin McDonagh and starring Frances McDormand as a Missouri woman who rents three roadside billboards to draw attention to her daugh ...
'' (2017), starring
Frances McDormand
Frances Louise McDormand (born Cynthia Ann Smith; June 23, 1957) is an American actress and producer. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, McDormand has received numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards, two Primetime Em ...
,
Woody Harrelson,
Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in independent films and also as a character actor portraying a wide variety of roles both comedic and dramatic in films such as ''Lawn Dogs'' (1997 ...
.
See also
*
Cube (algebra)
In arithmetic and algebra, the cube of a number is its third power, that is, the result of multiplying three instances of together.
The cube of a number or any other mathematical expression is denoted by a superscript 3, for example or .
...
– (3
superscript
A subscript or superscript is a character (such as a number or letter) that is set slightly below or above the normal line of type, respectively. It is usually smaller than the rest of the text. Subscripts appear at or below the baseline, whil ...
)
*
Third
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hi ...
*
Triad
Triad or triade may refer to:
* a group of three
Businesses and organisations
* Triad (American fraternities), certain historic groupings of seminal college fraternities in North America
* Triad (organized crime), a Chinese transnational orga ...
*
Rule of three Rule of three or Rule of Thirds may refer to:
Science and technology
*Rule of three (aeronautics), a rule of descent in aviation
*Rule of three (C++ programming), a rule of thumb about class method definitions
* Rule of three (computer programming ...
*
List of highways numbered 3
The following highways are numbered 3, H-3, PRI-3, AH3, E03 and R3. For roads numbered A3, see A3 roads. For roads numbered M3, see M3 (disambiguation)#Roads, M3. For roads numbered N3, see N3 (disambiguation)#Roads, N3. For roads numbered 3A, see ...
References
*Wells, D. ''
The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers'' London: Penguin Group. (1987): 46–48
External links
Tricyclopedic Book of Threesby Michael Eck
by Dr. John A. McNulty
*
The Number 3The Positive Integer 3
{{DEFAULTSORT:3 (Number)
Integers