3 (number)

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Pronunciation of the number 3

The number three (3) is one more than two and one less than four. It is the first Mersenne prime. Three is an important number for many cultures (groups of people living together). It is also a prime number. It is the first odd prime. In Roman numerals, it is III. It is the only prime that p and [math]\displaystyle{ p-1 }[/math] are both prime.

Famous threes

• the Three Stooges
• the three Doshas (weaknesses) in Ayurvedic medicine in India
• the Trimurti (three aspects of God) in Hindu religion
• the Holy Trinity in Christian religion
• three gifts of the wise men (Magi) who visited Christ at his birth in the Gospel of Matthew.
• the three bears in the fairy tale Goldilocks
• the three Imperial Regalia of Japan