3 (three) is a
number
A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The original examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual numbers c ...
,
numeral and
digit. It is the
natural number
In mathematics, the natural numbers are those numbers used for counting (as in "there are ''six'' coins on the table") and ordering (as in "this is the ''third'' largest city in the country").
Numbers used for counting are called ''cardinal ...
following
2 and preceding
4, and is the smallest odd
prime number
A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only ways ...
and the only prime preceding a
square number
In mathematics, a square number or perfect square is an integer that is the square of an integer; in other words, it is the product of some integer with itself. For example, 9 is a square number, since it equals and can be written as .
The usu ...
. 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 s ...
) that are still in use. That was also the original representation of 3 in the
Brahmic (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 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, 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 digit "٣".
In most modern Western
typefaces, the digit 3, like the other
decimal digits, has the height of a
capital letter, 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#Symbologies, 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 ...
barcodes and
standard 52-card decks.
Mathematics
3 is the second smallest
prime number
A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only ways ...
and the first
odd prime number. It is the first
unique prime, such that the
period length value of
1 of the
decimal expansion of its
reciprocal, 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. 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
In mathematics, a Mersenne prime is a prime number that is one less than a power of two. That is, it is a prime number of the form for some integer . They are named after Marin Mersenne, a French Minim friar, who studied them in the early 17th ...
, 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 prime
In mathematics, a Fermat number, named after Pierre de Fermat, who first studied them, is a positive integer of the form
:F_ = 2^ + 1,
where ''n'' is a non-negative integer. The first few Fermat numbers are:
: 3, 5, 17, 257, 65537, 429496 ...
s, which include 5,
17,
257
__NOTOC__
Year 257 ( CCLVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Valerianus and Gallienus (or, less frequently, year 10 ...
, and
65537. It is the second
Fibonacci prime (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
In number theory, a prime number ''p'' is a if 2''p'' + 1 is also prime. The number 2''p'' + 1 associated with a Sophie Germain prime is called a . For example, 11 is a Sophie Germain prime and 2 × 11 +  ...
, and the second
factorial prime, 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 i ...
, 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 i ...
.
3 is the number of non-collinear points needed to determine a
plane and a
circle.
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
In mathematics, the natural numbers are those numbers used for counting (as in "there are ''six'' coins on the table") and ordering (as in "this is the ''third'' largest city in the country").
Numbers used for counting are called ''cardinal ...
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 numer ...
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 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 numer ...
and in any
positional numeral system
Positional notation (or place-value notation, or positional numeral system) usually denotes the extension to any base of the Hindu–Arabic numeral system (or decimal system). More generally, a positional system is a numeral system in which th ...
whose
base divided by three leaves a remainder of one (bases 4, 7, 10, etc.).
Three of the five
Platonic solids
In geometry, a Platonic solid is a convex, regular polyhedron in three-dimensional Euclidean space. Being a regular polyhedron means that the faces are congruent (identical in shape and size) regular polygons (all angles congruent and all edges c ...
have triangular faces – the
tetrahedron
In geometry, a tetrahedron (plural: tetrahedra or tetrahedrons), also known as a triangular pyramid, is a polyhedron composed of four triangular faces, six straight edges, and four vertex corners. The tetrahedron is the simplest of all th ...
, the
octahedron
In geometry, an octahedron (plural: octahedra, octahedrons) is a polyhedron with eight faces. The term is most commonly used to refer to the regular octahedron, a Platonic solid composed of eight equilateral triangles, four of which meet at ea ...
, and the
icosahedron. Also, three of the five Platonic solids have
vertices where three faces meet – the
tetrahedron
In geometry, a tetrahedron (plural: tetrahedra or tetrahedrons), also known as a triangular pyramid, is a polyhedron composed of four triangular faces, six straight edges, and four vertex corners. The tetrahedron is the simplest of all th ...
, the
hexahedron
A hexahedron (plural: hexahedra or hexahedrons) or sexahedron (plural: sexahedra or sexahedrons) is any polyhedron with six faces. A cube, for example, is a regular hexahedron with all its faces square, and three squares around each vertex.
Ther ...
(
cube), and the
dodecahedron
In geometry, a dodecahedron (Greek , from ''dōdeka'' "twelve" + ''hédra'' "base", "seat" or "face") or duodecahedron is any polyhedron with twelve flat faces. The most familiar dodecahedron is the regular dodecahedron with regular pentagon ...
. Furthermore, only three different types of
polygons comprise the faces of the five Platonic solids – the
triangle, the
square
In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90- degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...
, 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 squar ...
s.
According to
Pythagoras and the
Pythagorean
Pythagorean, meaning of or pertaining to the ancient Ionian mathematician, philosopher, and music theorist Pythagoras, may refer to:
Philosophy
* Pythagoreanism, the esoteric and metaphysical beliefs purported to have been held by Pythagoras
* Ne ...
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 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 ...
, the
octahedral group
A regular octahedron has 24 rotational (or orientation-preserving) symmetries, and 48 symmetries altogether. These include transformations that combine a reflection and a rotation. A cube has the same set of symmetries, since it is the polyhedr ...
, and the
icosahedral group
In mathematics, and especially in geometry, an object has icosahedral symmetry if it has the same symmetries as a regular icosahedron. Examples of other polyhedra with icosahedral symmetry include the regular dodecahedron (the dual of the ...
. In dimensions
⩾ 5, there are only three regular polytopes: the
-
simplexes,
-
cubes, and
-
orthoplex
In geometry, a cross-polytope, hyperoctahedron, orthoplex, or cocube is a regular, convex polytope that exists in ''n''- dimensional Euclidean space. A 2-dimensional cross-polytope is a square, a 3-dimensional cross-polytope is a regular octahed ...
es. 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 ...
atic families, are the
simplex,
cubic, and
demihypercubic families. For
paracompact hyperbolic honeycombs, there are three groups in
dimension
In physics and mathematics, the dimension of a mathematical space (or object) is informally defined as the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify any point within it. Thus, a line has a dimension of one (1D) because only one coor ...
s
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 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
A giant star is a star with substantially larger radius and luminosity than a main-sequence (or ''dwarf'') star of the same surface temperature.Giant star, entry in ''Astronomy Encyclopedia'', ed. Patrick Moore, New York: Oxford University Press ...
in the
Yerkes spectral classification scheme.
*Three is the
atomic number 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 ...
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
In physics and mathematics, the dimension of a mathematical space (or object) is informally defined as the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify any point within it. Thus, a line has a dimension of one (1D) because only one coordin ...
that humans can perceive. Humans perceive the
universe
The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of 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 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
colors 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, tr ...
. 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 expl ...
, 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 conn ...
.
*There are three
primary color
A set of primary colors or primary colours (see spelling differences) consists of colorants or colored lights that can be mixed in varying amounts to produce a gamut of colors. This is the essential method used to create the perception of a ...
s in the
additive and
subtractive models.
Protoscience
*In European
alchemy, 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 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 o ...
'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,
Kant
Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aest ...
,
Hegel,
C. S. Peirce, and
Karl Popper 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 Trimūrti (; Sanskrit: त्रिमूर्ति ', "three forms" or "trinity") are the trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism, in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified as a triad of ...
*The Hindu
Tridevi
The Tridevi () are a trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism, joining a triad of eminent goddesses either as a feminine version of the Trimurti, or as consorts of a masculine Trimurti, depending on the denomination. This triad is typically p ...
*The
Three Jewels of
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
*The
Three Pure Ones of
Taoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...
*The
Christian Holy Trinity
*The
Triple Goddess of
Wicca
Christianity
*The
threefold office of
Christ is a Christian doctrine which states that Christ performs the functions of
prophet,
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...
, and
king
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
.
*The
ministry of Jesus 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 thrice denied Jesus and
thrice affirmed his faith in Jesus.
*The
Magi – wise men who were astronomers/astrologers from Persia – gave Jesus three gifts.
*There are three
Synoptic Gospels 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 went blind for three days after his
conversion to Christianity.
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 "ham ...
,
Shem
Shem (; he, שֵׁם ''Šēm''; ar, سَام, Sām) ''Sḗm''; Ge'ez: ሴም, ''Sēm'' was one of the sons of Noah in the book of Genesis and in the book of Chronicles, and the Quran.
The children of Shem were Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lu ...
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 certa ...
:
Abraham,
Isaac and
Jacob
*The prophet
Balaam beat his donkey three times.
*The prophet
Jonah
Jonah or Jonas, ''Yōnā'', "dove"; gr, Ἰωνᾶς ''Iōnâs''; ar, يونس ' or '; Latin: ''Ionas'' Ben (Hebrew), son of Amittai, is a prophet in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran, from Gath-hepher of the northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria ...
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 ( ...
(Prophets),
Ketuvim
The Ketuvim (; hbo, , Modern: ''Kəṯūvīm'', Tiberian: ''Kăṯūḇīm'' "writings") is the third and final section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), after Torah (instruction) and Nevi'im (prophets). In English translations of the Hebrew Bi ...
(Writings)
*Three divisions of the Jewish people:
Kohen,
Levite, Yisrael
*Three daily
prayers: ''
Shacharit'', ''
Mincha
Mincha ( he, מִנחַה, pronounced as ; sometimes spelled ''Minchah'' or ''Minḥa'') is the afternoon prayer service in Judaism.
Etymology
The name ''Mincha'', meaning "present", is derived from the meal offering that accompanied each sacri ...
'', ''
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:
Passover,
Shavuot,
Sukkot
*Three
matzos on the
Passover Seder table
*
The Three Weeks
The Three Weeks or ''Bein ha-Metzarim'' (Hebrew: בין המצרים, "Between the Straits") (cf "dire straits") is a period of mourning commemorating the destruction of the first and second Jewish Temples. The Three Weeks start on the seventee ...
, 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 ...
, a Jewish boy's first haircut at age 3
*A
Beth din is composed of three members
*Potential
converts are traditionally turned away three times to test their sincerity
*In the
Jewish mystical tradition of the
Kabbalah, it is believed that
the soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
consists of three parts, with the highest being ''
neshamah
''Neshamah (Songs from the Jewish Diaspora)'' is the first solo recording by American guitarist Tim Sparks on the Tzadik Records label. "Neshamah" means "soul" in Hebrew. The arrangements adapt Ashkenazic klezmer, Sephardic and Middle Eastern Jew ...
'' ("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 c ...
'' ("wind" or "spirit") and the lowest being ''
nefesh'' ("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 (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 in
Taoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...
.
*The Three
Dantian
Dantian, dan t'ian, dan tien or tan t'ien is loosely translated as "elixir field", "sea of qi", or simply "energy center". Dantian are the "qi focus flow centers", important focal points for meditative and exercise techniques such as qigong, m ...
s
*Three Lines of a
Trigram
*
Three Sovereigns: Heaven
Fu Xi
Fuxi or Fu Hsi (伏羲 ~ 伏犧 ~ 伏戲) is a culture hero in Chinese legend and mythology, credited along with his sister and wife Nüwa with creating humanity and the invention of music, hunting, fishing, domestication, and cooking as well a ...
(Hand – Head – 3º Eye), Humanity
Shen Nong (
Unit 69), Hell
Nüwa (Foot – Abdomen – Umbiculus).
Hinduism
*The
Trimurti
The Trimūrti (; Sanskrit: त्रिमूर्ति ', "three forms" or "trinity") are the trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism, in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified as a triad of ...
:
Brahma the Creator,
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
the Preserver, and
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
the Destroyer.
*The three
Gunas found in
Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy.
*The three paths to salvation in the ''
Bhagavad Gita'' named
Karma Yoga,
Bhakti Yoga 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
Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheisti ...
.
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.
*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.
*The
Triple Goddess: Maiden, Mother, Crone; the three fates.
*The sons of
Cronus:
Zeus
Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek reli ...
,
Poseidon
Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ...
, and
Hades.
*The Slavic god
Triglav has three heads.
Esoteric tradition
*The
Theosophical Society 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'', the central scripture of the religion of
Thelema
Thelema () is a Western esoteric and occult social or spiritual philosophy and new religious movement founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), an English writer, mystic, occultist, and ceremonial magician. The word ' ...
, consists of three chapters, corresponding to three divine narrators respectively:
Nuit,
Hadit
Hadit (sometimes Had) refers to a Thelemic deity. Hadit is the principal speaker of the second chapter of ''The Book of the Law'' (written or received by Aleister Crowley in 1904).
Descriptions
Hadit identifies himself as the point in the ...
and
Ra-Hoor-Khuit.
*The Triple Greatness of
Hermes Trismegistus is an important theme in
Hermeticism
Hermeticism, or Hermetism, is a philosophical system that is primarily based on the purported teachings of Hermes Trismegistus (a legendary Hellenistic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth). These teachings are containe ...
.
As a lucky or unlucky number
Three (, formal writing: ,
pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally writte ...
''sān'',
Cantonese: ''saam''
1) is considered a
good number in
Chinese culture because it sounds like the word "alive" ( pinyin ''shēng'', Cantonese: ''saang''
1), compared to
four (, 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 forbiddengets 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 and
Canadian football, a
field goal is worth three points.
*In
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
:
** 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.
* 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 t ...
:
** 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 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
:
**
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, three
strikes 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 str ...
, 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 chro ...
and
women,
hurling, and
camogie), three points are awarded for a goal, scored when the ball passes underneath the crossbar and between the goal posts.
*In
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
:
** 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
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
:
** 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 wears the jersey number 3.
* In
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...
:
** 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 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
* Tri ...
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'' by
Alexandre Dumas: (
1921,
1933,
1948,
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
, 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 peacefu ...
and
2011).
*''
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 on ...
'' (1975), starring
Robert Redford,
Faye Dunaway
Dorothy Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941) is an American actress. She is the recipient of many accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and a BAFTA Award. In 2011, the government of France mad ...
,
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 19 ...
, and
Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow ( , ; born Carl Adolf von Sydow; 10 April 1929 – 8 March 2020) was a Swedish-French actor. He had a 70-year career in European and American cinema, television, and theatre, appearing in more than 150 films and several television ...
.
*''
Three Amigos'' (1986), comedy film starring
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominate ...
,
Chevy Chase, and
Martin Short.
*''
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 Febru ...
'' (2014), starring
Kevin Costner.
*''
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'' (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 Emm ...
,
Woody Harrelson,
Sam Rockwell.
See also
*
Cube (algebra) – (3
superscript)
*
Third
*
Triad
*
Rule of three
*
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. For roads numbered N3, see N3. For roads numbered 3A, see 3A.
International
* Asian Highway 3
* Europe ...
References
*Wells, D. ''
The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers
''The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers'' is a reference book for recreational mathematics and elementary number theory written by David Wells. The first edition was published in paperback by Penguin Books in 1986 in the UK, ...
'' 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