Three

Three (3) is a the natural number following two and preceding four.

Three is the second smallest prime number, the next is five. Three is the second triangular number.

3 goes into 9 exactly 3 times, so fractions with 3 in the denominator have a single digit repeating sequences in their decimal expansions. A natural number is divisible by three if and only if its decimal digit sum is divisible by 3. The same applies to nine, a number is divisible by 9, if its decimal digit sum is divisible by 9. In base-N, the divisors of N-1 have this property.

Many human cultures have given the concept of three-ness symbolic meanings:

• The Holy Trinity in Christian doctrine
• The process of synthesis in Hegelian dialectic creates three-ness from two-ness
• The three Doshas (weaknesses) and their antidotes are the basis of Ayurvedic medicine, for a complete system of medicine in India
• The three Gunas underlie action, in the Vedic system of knowledge.
• The Trimurti in Hindu tradition

Three (三 pinyin san1) is considered a good number in Chinese culture because it sounds like the word "alive" (生 pinyin sheng1), compare to four.

Three is also:

• the number of musicians in a trio.

Decals and bumper stickers bearing the phrase "In Memory of 3" are references to NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt.

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Other uses for three:

1. Three's Company
2. Three of a Kind
3. Three: a rock band formed by Keith Emerson, Robert Berry and Carl Palmer.

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See also: one, two, three, four, five, integer, list of numbers.

This article is about the number. For the year AD 3, see 3.

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