3 (number) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids ← 2 3 4 →
−1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 → ← 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 →
Cardinal	three
Ordinal	3rd (third)
Numeral system	ternary
Factorization	prime
Divisors	1, 3
Greek numeral	Γ´
Roman numeral	III
Roman numeral (unicode)	Ⅲ, ⅲ
Greek prefix	tri-
Latin prefix	tre-/ter-
Binary	112
Ternary	103
Senary	36
Octal	38
Duodecimal	312
Hexadecimal	316
Arabic	٣,3
Urdu
Bengali	৩
Chinese	三，弎，叁
Devanāgarī	३
Ge'ez	፫
Greek	γ (or Γ)
Hebrew	ג
Japanese	三
Khmer	៣
Korean	셋,삼
Malayalam	൩
Tamil	௩
Telugu	౩
Thai	๓

The number three (3) is a very important number! It comes right after two and just before four. It's special because it's the first prime number that is also an odd number. A prime number is a number that can only be divided evenly by 1 and itself. Three is also the first Mersenne prime, which is a special type of prime number. In Roman numerals, the number three is written as III. Many cultures around the world see the number three as important or special.

The Number Three in Culture

The number three appears in many famous stories, beliefs, and traditions. Here are some examples:

• The Three Stooges were a famous comedy group.
• In Hinduism, a major religion from India, there is the Trimurti. This means "three forms" and refers to the three main aspects of God.
• In the Christian religion, there is the Holy Trinity. This describes God as three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
• In the Gospel of Matthew from the Bible, three wise men, also called the Magi, visited Christ when he was born and brought him three gifts.
• The fairy tale Goldilocks features three bears.
• The Imperial Regalia of Japan are three sacred treasures that represent the power of the Emperor of Japan.
• In Ayurveda, an ancient system of medicine from India, there are three "Doshas." These are like three energies that control how our bodies work.

See also

In Spanish: Tres para niños