"What's Special About This Number" Facts

eople have always been fascinated by NUMBERS... Numbers are actually basic elements of mathematics used for counting, measuring, ranking, solving equations, and comparing quantities. For some ones numbers represent meaningless symbols manipulated according to arbitrary rules, for others numbers carry occult powers and mystic virtues.
Almost all numeration systems start as simple tally marks, using single strokes to represent each additional unit. The first known use of numbers dates back to around 30,000 BC when tally marks were used by stone age people.

The number facts in this 'Numberopedia' are available as features for print and electronic publishing.

NaN (Not a Number) is, in computing, a value (or symbol) that is usually produced as the result of an operation on invalid input operands, especially in floating-point calculations. NaNs are close to some undefined or inderterminate expressions in mathematics. In short, NaN is not really a number but a symbol that represents a numerical quantity whose magnitude cannot be determined by the operating system.

= -1
= log (-n) = ln (-n)
= 0 / 0
= 0⁰
= 1^∞
= ∞⁰
= ∞ / ∞ = ∞ / -∞ = -∞ / ∞ = -∞ / -∞
= 0 x ∞ = 0 x -∞
= (-∞) + ∞ = ∞ + (-∞)
= ln |0| / ln |±∞|
= e^±∞ x ln |0|
= (m / ±∞) x (n / 0) if m ±∞ and n 0

= i, is the imaginary unit of any imaginary number. Discovered by the Italian mathematician Girolamo Cardano.
An imaginary number is a number of the form bi where 'b' is a real number, 'i' is the square root of -1, for b 0. Imaginary numbers (and complex numbers in general) are essential for describing physical reality and have concrete applications in: electromagnetism, signal processing, control theory, quantum mechanics, cryptology, and cartography...

is the result of the folowing equations:
x² + 1 = 0
x³ - x = 0 (for x 0 or x 1)

Square roots of negative numbers other than -1 can be written under the form:
-n = in

e^i/2 = cos (/2) + i sin (/2) = i
iⁱ = e^-/2 ≈ 0.207879576... (cf. i to the i is a Real Number)

the reciprocal of i is -i:
i^-1 = 1/i = i/i² = i/-1 = -i

Powers of i repeat in a definite pattern (i, -1, -i, 1, ...):
i¹ = i
i² = -1
i³ = i²i = (-1)i = -i
i⁴ = i³i = (-i)i = -(i²) = -(-1) = 1
i⁵ = i⁴i = (1)i = i
...

The first roots of i are:
¹i = i
²i = ±(1 + i)/2
³i = (3 + i)/2
⁴i = ±(i(2 - 2) + (2 + 2))/2
⁵i = i

A 'paradox' with i:
a) -1 = -1
b) (1/-1) = (-1/1)
c) 1/-1 = -1/1
d) (1)² = (-1)²
e) 1 = -1 and then 2 = 0 ??? Is this possible? Can you discover what led to this poetic licenced conclusion?

is a separate and special entity called 'Identity element'. 0 is actually the identity element under addition for the real numbers, since if a is any real number, a + 0 = 0 + a = a. Mathematicians refers to 0 as the additive identity (or better said, the reflexive identity of addition).

is considered to be a purely imaginary number: 0 is the only complex number which is both real and purely imaginary.

identifies the concept of "almost" impossible in probability. More generally, the concept of almost nowhere in measure theory.

0 = log_a1
a⁰ = 1, only when a doesn't equal 0.

By convention, you cannot divide any number by zero.
In theory, zero multiplied by infinity is undetermined (as is zero divided by zero).

It is the only integer (actually, the only real number) that is neither negative nor positive. The question whether 'zero' is odd or even seems to be totally subjective!

Mathematical equations with one or more unknown factors are solved by equalizing them to zero.

is the number of n x n magic squares for n = 2.

The difference between 3, 30 and 300 is only some extra zeros, but those little circles are actually one of the world's greatest inventions! As early as 200 B.C., Hindu scholars were working with nine oddly shaped symbols and a dot that eventually would bring order out of a world of mathematical chaos. The dot and nine symbols were the earliest known forerunners of the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Comprised of only ten symbols and based on multiples of ten, the Hindu numeral system was easily learned and easily used. Who first thought of using a dot (bindu, in sanskrit) as the tenth number is not known. But it can be supposed that a Hindu, working on his abacus, wanted to keep a written record of the answers on his abacus. One day he used a symbol '.' which he called shunya () to indicate a column on his counting board in which he had moved no beads... Shunya, the dot, was originally not zero the number, but merely a mark to indicate empty space.

The word "zero" was coined by the Italian mathematician Leonardo Pisano, said Fibonacci. He transformed the Arabic word 'صِفْر', sifr (from the semitic root s.p.r., 'empty') into Italian equivalent zefiro, shortened to zero afterwards. Many languages have adopted the word "zero": english, catalan, french (zéro), portuguese, romanian, spanish (cero), wallon (zérô), albanian, polish, japanese...
Europe is divided into two regions: the 'zero region' (see above) and the 'nullus region' (nullus, 'zero' in Latin). The 'nullus region' includes the Germanic, the Skandinavian and some Slavonic countries. The following is a table of the number 0 in a sample of the languages of the 'nullus region':

The Greek word for zero is μηδεν, read as 'meden', which means, etymologically, not even one (i.e. nothing). The Oracle of Delphi in ancient Greece had a wise motto, like this: "meden agan" - nothing too much (or nothing in excess)... - posted by George Pantazis

Love is a score of 0 in tennis.

What English word contains 0 vowels?
Answer: hymn, gypsyfy, myth, rhythm, sylph, syzygy, etc.

The Czech phrase: Strc prst skrz krk meaning "thrust finger through neck", contains 0 vowels and semi-vowels!

In German, the expression in Null Komma nichts (in zero point nothing) means 'in a trice'

In Italian, the expression a chilometri zero (in zero kilometers from any location) means 'local'. For instance, un gelato a chilometri zero translates as 'an ice-cream produced with local products'.

There are no letters assigned to the numbers 0 and 1 on a phone dial. These numbers remain unassigned because they are so-called 'flag' numbers, kept for special purposes such as emergency or operator services.

"Wuji" (Number 0), in the Mystical Numbers of Taoism, represents the Null, the Chaos, the Origin and the End.

Joke: Chuck Norris can divide by zero. (More Chuck Norris facts)

= sinus(30°)
= cosinus(60°)
= cosinus(30°)/3
= 1/3 + 1/6

Using all digits from 1 to 9 once:
= 6 729 / 13 458
= 9 327 / 18 654 (there are 10 other possibilities to write similar fractions by using all digits from 1 to 9 once)
= (123 - 45) / (67 + 89)

Using the same number twice, but just swapping the place of ONE digit:
= 105263157894736842 / 210526315789473684
= 157894736842105263 / 315789473684210526
= 210526315789473684 / 421052631578947368
= 263157894736842105 / 526315789473684210
= 315789473684210526 / 631578947368421052
= 368421052631578947 / 736842105263157894
= 421052631578947368 / 842105263157894736
= 473684210526315789 / 947368421052631578
Numbers with such properties are called 'parasit or parasitic numbers'.

≈ angular magnitude of the Sun, and of the Moon.

In a group of 23 people, at least two have the same birthday with the probability greater than 1/2.

Another 'paradox' involving 1/2:
Since (1/2)² = 1/4
and (1/2)³ = 1/8
then (1/2)³ < (1/2)²
using the logarithms we obtain:
3 log (1/2) < 2 log (1/2)
and after dividing by log (1/2):
3 < 2
How can that be?

Did you know that the Romans too could transcribe unit fractions? e.g. to write 1/2 they used the letter S (semis). Knowing that, what represents the Roman numeral SIX? Obviously not 6, but 8.5! (10 - 1 - 1/2)

In Italy, "fojetta" (small leaf, in Roman dialect) is a measure corresponding to half a liter of wine. A typical 'fojetta' ->

is a separate and special entity called 'Unity' or 'Identity element'. 1 is actually the identity element under multiplication for the real numbers, since a x 1 = 1 x a = a. Mathematicians refers to 1 as the multiplicative identity (or better said, the reflexive identity of multiplication).

is NOT prime! Primes or prime numbers can be poetically described as the 'atoms' of mathematics - the building blocks of the world of numbers. But, mathematically speaking: "a prime number is a positive integer with exactly TWO positive divisors: 1 and itself". Modern textbooks consider 1 neither prime nor composite, whereas older texts generally asserted the contrary. In 1859, Henri Lebesgue stated explicitly that 1 is prime in "Exercices d'analyse numérique". It is also prime in "Primary Elements of Algebra for Common Schools and Academies" (1866) by Joseph Ray, and in "Standard Arithmetic" (1892) by William J. Milne. A list of primes to 10,006,721 published in 1914 by Derrick N. Lehmer includes 1 ("List of prime numbers from 1 to 10,006,721", Carnegie Institution of Washington).

is the only real solution of the equation x³ + 3x - 4 = 0

Benford's law states that in a huge assortment of number sequences - in listings, tables of statistics, random samples from a day's stock quotations, a tournament's tennis scores, the populations of towns, electricity bills in the Solomon Islands, and much more, the digit 1 tends to occur with probability ∼30%, much greater than the expected 11.1% (i.e., one digit out of 9). Dr. Nigrini gained recognition by applying a system he devised based on Benford's Law to some fraud cases in Brooklyn. The idea underlying his system is that if the numbers in a set of data like a tax return more or less match the frequencies and ratios predicted by Benford's Law, the data are probably honest. But if a graph of such numbers is markedly different from the one predicted by Benford's Law, he said, "I think I'd call someone in for a detailed audit".

Mathematicians define a 'sphere' as the surface of a sphere, not a solid ball, so a sphere has 2 sides: the outside and the inside. However, there are also 1-sided surfaces!

f(x) = e^x at the point x = 0 is exactly 1.

=0!
Why 0! = 1? Because 4! = 4x3x2x1 and 3! = 3x2x1. Therefore 4! = 4x3! In the same way 3! = 3x2! and 2! = 2x1! So it follows that 1! = 1x0! Therefore 0! must be equal to 1 or 1! would be 0... And so 2! would be zero and then 3! and so on.

= log_aa

= a⁰ (for a0)
= 35 - 3² - 5²
= 75 - 7² - 5²
= 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/6
= 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/6 + 1/12
= 1/2¹ + 1/2² + 1/2³ + 1/2⁴ + 1/2⁵ + ...
= sin² (a) + cos² (a)
= | F_n x F_n+3 - F_n+1 x F_n+2 | (F = Fibonacci numbers)

= 1/(1x2) + 1/(2x3) + 1/(3x4) + 1/(4x5) + ... + 1/n(n+1)
= 0.9 + 0.09 + 0.009 + 0.0009 + 0.00009 + ...

n = 1

= e²ⁱ

= ³(133/36 + 5/8) - ³(133/36 - 5/8)

Curious multiplications using 1's:
1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
etc...

During any police lineup the suspects wear nos. 2 through 9 because it is considered too suggestive to make anyone display the no. 1!

Symbolizes the essence of all phenomena, which is a single unity, before being divided. It represents also the contrast between essence and existence; the enduring and the ephemeral; the unity in diversity (one/many). According to Hopper, the first advance towards counting is with the use of words for one and for many, the differentiation from the self from the group. We still say 'numero uno' to speak of ourselves.

"Taiji" (also termed as "Dayi" or "Taiyi"), in the Mystical Numbers of Taoism, represents the ONE, the Ultimate, the Order. The martial art known as "Taijiquan" based its movement's philosophies upon the notion of Taiji.

In the English language, there is a word with just ONE vowel which occurs 6 times: indivisibility.

ONE in different languages

Reconstructed proto-language: | *TIK | Indo-european | *OIN-, *OIW- |, | *SEM- | Sanskrit | EKAS | Proto-Hellenic | *HEMS |, Greek, Attic | ἙΙΣ HEIS | Latin | VNVS, -A |, Archaic Latin | ŒNVS, -A |, | OINVS, -A |

Italian, Spanish uno; Romanian, French, and Catalan un; Provençal uns; Portuguese um; Romansh in.

Old Germanic | AINAZ |

Dutch een; German eins; Danish en, et.

Old Slavic | JEDINU |

Russian один odín; Czech jeden.

Evolution from 'seal script' to modern sinograph 一 : Old Chinese (pron.) | iêt |

Chinese 一 yī. 幺 yāo is used as a replacement for yī in series of digits such as phone numbers, room numbers, etc... to prevent confusion between similar sounding words.

Semitic root | WHD | or | ?HD | (? = glotal stop) Ancient Egyptian [w'.-] ua-; Akkadian ishte'n.

Arabic واحِد wa:hid; Hebrew אחת 'aHat; Maltese: wiehed; Amharic and.

HIDDEN ROOTS The roots of the word one (un-, sim-) are hidden in the following words: inch, onion, ounce, primal, primrose, prince, simple, single, simulate, unanimous, unicorn, uniform, unify, union, unique, unit, universe; alone, any, lonely, only, none. In French: ensemble, oignon, premier, printemps, sanglier, semblable, sincère.

is also called Pythagoras' constant.
is the ratio of diagonal to side length in a square.

≈ 1.4142135623 7309504880 1688724209 6980785696 7187537694 8073176679 7379907324 7846210703 8850387534 3276415727 3501384623 0912297024 9248360558 5073721264 4121497099...

One of the earliest numerical approximation of 2 was found on a Babylonian clay tablet (from the Yale Babylonian Collection), dated approximately to between 1800 B.C. and 1600 B.C. The annotations on this tablet give an impressive numerical approximation in four sexagesimal figures:
1 + 24/60 + 51/60² + 10/60³ = 1.41421296...

≈ (P_n+1 - P_n)/P_n (P = Pell numbers)

≈ 17/12
≈ 99/70
≈ 1.0110101000001001111...₂

= 2sinus(45°) = 2cosinus(45°)
= 1 + (1 / (2 + (1 / (2 + (1 / (2 + ... ))))))
= (i + ii) / i

If you want to have some fun with 2:
start with the very rough approximation 7/5. Then
(7+5+5)/(7+5) = 17/12
(17+12+12)/(17+12) = 41/29
(41+29+29)/(41+29) = 99/70
(99+70+70)/(99+70) = 239/169
...
continuing closer approximations of 2
- posted by Larry Bickford -

Writing numbers using only square roots of 2:
3 = -log₂log₂((2))
4 = -log₂log₂(((2)))
5 = -log₂log₂((((2))))
6 = -log₂log₂(((((2))))) ... etc.

ISO paper sizes are all based on a single aspect ratio of the square root of two, or approximately 1:1.4142. Basing paper upon this ratio was conceived by Georg Lichtenberg in 1786, and at the beginning of the 20th century, Dr Walter Porstmann turned Lichtenberg's idea into a proper system of different paper sizes.

is the Golden Number, also called Phi.
Golden Number property: ( + 1)/ = /1

The fraction 1/998999 contains Fibonacci numbers, i.e.:
1/998999=0.000001001002003005008013021034055089...

Radii at 0° and approximately 222.49° divide a circle in the golden ratio: B/A = /1

= (5 + 1)/2
= 1 + (1 / (1 + (1 / (1 + (1 / (1 + ... ))))))
= (4 + (4! - 4))/4
= -2sin(666)
≈ F_n+1 / F_n (F = Fibonacci numbers)

≈ 1.61803 39887 49894 84820 45868 34365 63811...

The 3184th Fibonacci number is an apocalypse number (Apocalpyse numbers are numbers having exactly 666 digits).

is also known as Theodorus' constant (it is named after Theodorus of Cyrene, who proved that the square roots of the numbers from 3 to 17, excluding 4, 9, and 16, are irrational).
is the diagonal of a cube having 1-unit sides.
is the height of an equilateral triangle having 2-unit sides.

The shape 'Vesica piscis' (fish bladder) has a major axis/minor axis ratio equal to the square root of 3, this can be shown by constructing two equilateral triangles within it.

≈ 1.7320508075 6887729352 7446341505 8723669428 0525381038 0628055806 9794519330 1690880003 7081146186 7572485756 7562614141 5406703029 9699450949 9895247881 1655512094...

= 2sinus(60°) = 2sinus(30°)
= 1 + (1 / (1 + (1 / (2 + (1 / (1 + (1 / 2 + ... )))))))
≈ 97/56
≈ 1.1011101101100111101...₂

is the only even prime.
is the first taxicab number (trivial). - posted by Charles Rathbone

there is no natural number n greater than 2 for which x²+ y² = z² is true (see Fermat's last conjecture).

n² ± n is always divisible by 2.

2 + 2 = 2 x 2 = 2²
= 3³ - 5²
= 4² - 3² - 2² - 1²
= (3² + 4² + 5² + 6² + 7² + 8² + 9²)/
   (1² + 2² + 3² + 4² + 5² + 6² + 7²)   
= 2+(2+(2+(... )))
= (3 + 22) - (3 - 22)
= ³(63 + 10) - ³(63 - 10)
= log_a a²

=(1 + i)(1 - i)

2⁷= 71² - 17³

is the smallest prime that can grow 7 times by the right:
2 is prime,
29 is prime,
293 is prime,
2939 is prime,
29399 is prime,
293999 is prime,
2939999 is prime.
29399999 is prime.

When you increase the area of a square of 1 unit-square, the side n of this square - for n > 3 - increases approximately of 1/2n. For example: (1² + 12²) ≈ 12 + 1/(2 x 12) ≈ 12.0416... - G. Sarcone

Curiosity... An everyday example when 1 + 1 ≠ 2:
1 liter of water + 1 liter of alcohol = 1.926 liters of liquid

"Liangyi" (Number 2), in the Mystical Numbers of Taoism, symbolizes the Twin, the First Division, the Duality of Opposites (Yin/Yang).

In Cantonese the number two is fortunate, because it sounds similar to "easy" in the dialect.

The two-second rule is an easy way to make sure you have left enough following distance between your car and the vehicle in front, no matter what speed you're travelling at. To check if you are travelling two seconds behind the vehicle in front:
- watch the vehicle in front of you pass a landmark (such as a sign, tree, or power pole) at the side of the road,
- as it passes the landmark, start counting 'One thousand and one, one thousand and two',
- if you pass the landmark before you finish saying those eight words, you are following too closely. Slow down, pick another landmark and repeat the words to make sure you have increased your following distance. -- Source Land Transport NZ.

The most common two-letter words in order of frequency are: of, to, in, it, is, be, as, at, so, we, he, by, or, on, do, if, me, my, up, an, go, no, us, am.

A honey bee must tap TWO million flowers to make ONE pound of honey!

"A man is a person who will pay two dollars for a one-dollar item he wants. A woman will pay one dollar for a two-dollar item she doesn't want..." -- William Binger

TWO in different languages

Reconstructed proto-language: | *PAL | Indo-european | *DWI-, *DUWO- | Sanskrit | DVAU, DVE | Proto-Hellenic | *DWO |, Greek, Attic | ΔΎΩ DUO | Latin | DVO, -Æ |, | BI- |, Archaic Latin | DWO |, | DWI- |

Italian due; French deux; Spanish and Catalan dos; Provençal dous, dos; Portuguese dois, duas; Romanian doi, două; Romansh dus, duas.

Old Germanic | TWAIZ |

Dutch twee; German zwei (often zwo is used to avoid confusion with drei, 3); Danish and Norvegian to.

Old Slavic | DUVA |

Russian два dva; Czech dva.

Evolution from 'seal script' to modern sinograph 二 : Old Chinese (pron.) | ñzhi |

Chinese 二 èr (is used for numbers and in counting) / 两 liǎng (is used when counting objects or persons).

Semitic root | Th-N |, derived verb 'thny', to repeat. Proto-Semitic | *ThNÂ | Ancient Egyptian [sn.-] sen; Akkadian shena

Arabic اِثنان ithna:n; Hebrew שתיים shtayim; Maltese: tnejn; Amharic hulät.

HIDDEN ROOTS The roots of the word two are hidden in the following words: balance, bezel, bicycle, binary, biscuit, combine, diploma, diptych, double, doubt, duel, duet, duplex, duplicate, pinochle; between, twist, twice, twill, twin; Mishnah. In French: bafouiller, berlue, besace, bévue, bigle, binocle, bisquer, brouette (< bis-rouette).

is an irrational number involved in the formula for the Golden ratio.
is also used in statistics when dealing with 5-business day weeks.
is the hypothenuse of a right triangle having 1 and 2-unit sides.
is the diagonal a rectangular box having 1, 2 and 2-unit sides.

= eⁱ + 2

≈ 2.2360679774 9978969640 9173668731 2762354406 1835961152 5724270897 2454105209 2563780489 9414414408 3787822749 6950817615 0773783504 2532677244 4707386358 6360121533...

≈ 85/38
≈ 10.0011110001101111...₂

Discovered by the Scottish mathematician John Napier of Merchistoun.
e stands for exponens (in Latin, 'exponential')
= 1/0! + 1/1! + 1/2! + 1/3! + 1/4! + 1/5! + 1/6! + ...

e has this mathematical property:

d(ex) dx

=

ex

≈ 2.7182818284 5904523536 0287471352 6624977572 4709369995 9574966967 6277240766 3035354759 4571382178 5251664274 2746639193 2003059921 8174135966 2904357290 0334295260...

≈ ⁶(⁴ + ⁵) (mathematical coincidence)

e^ia = cos a + i sin a

Ln x ≡ log_e x

log x = log e · Ln x

Benjamin Peirce suggested the innovative notation, that looked like a paper clip, for e and shown below:

From J. D. Runkin's Mathematical Monthly, vol. I, No. 5, Feb. 1859

is the only prime 1 less than a perfect square. - Robin Regan
is the number of spatial dimensions needed to mathematically describe a solid.
are the primary colors.

are the geometric constructions you cannot build using just a ruler and compasses: 1. You cannot trisect - divide into three equal parts - a given angle; 2. Double a cube; and 3. Square a circle.

A number is divisible by 3 when the sum of its digits can be divided by 3.

If the denominator of a rational number is not divisible by 3, then the repeating part of its decimal expansion is an integer divisible by 9. Example: 1/7 = 0.142857... has a repeating part '142857' divisible by 9. Another example with a larger recurring decimal: 1/23 = 0.0434782608695652173913... has a repeating part '0434782608695652173913' divisible by 9.

3 + 2 = log₂ 32

3 + 1.5 = 3 x 1.5
3² = 3! + 3
3² = 5² - 4²
3³ = 6³ - 5³ - 4³
3³ = 3² + 3² + 3²

= 4 ! / (4 x 4)

= 17,469 / 5,823 (this division contains all digits 1 through 9 once)

3 x 51249876 = 153749628 (the multiplication uses all 9 digits once - and so does its product!)

3⁴ x 425 = 34425

3 is the minimum colors needed to create camouflage patches, usually used in military compounds and vehicles. - posted by George Pantazis

A 3 x 3 alphamagic square is a magic square for which the number of letters in the word for each number generates another magic square, for instance:

5 22 18 28 15 2 12 8 25

five (4) twenty-two (9) eighteen (8) twenty-eight (11) fifteen (7) two (3) twelve (6) eight (5) twenty-five (10)

A 3 x 6 rectangle has an area equal to its perimeter.

In one gram of water the number of molecules is about:
3.3 x 10²² = 33000000000000000000000

The Shadok's numbers are a kind of base-3 numeration system:

0 is Ga		4 is Buga		8 is Zoga		12 is Meuga
1 is Bu		5 is Bubu		9 is Zobu		13 is Meubu
2 is Zo		6 is Buzo		10 is Zozo		14 is Meuzo
3 is Meu		7 is Bumeu		11 is Zomeu		15 is Meumeu

The letters A, F, H, K, N, Y and Z are made up with 3 lines.

In SMS language <3 means 'I love you', and <333, 'I love you so much'.

3 hundred millions of Indians live with less than 1 dollar per day (2004).

An octopus has 3 hearts.

The number 3 symbolizes the principle of growth. In Guangdong province, China, three is associated with living or giving birth.

"Sanqing" (also known as "Sanxing" or "Sancai"), in the Mystical Numbers of Taoism, represents the number 3 and symbolizes the Three Luminaries: Sun, Moon, Stars. It also defines the concept of "Heaven, Mankind, Earth" as well as "Upper, Centre, Lower".

Deep thought: "There are 3 kinds of people: those who can count and those who can't".

Riddle 1: Spell 'mousetrap' in 3 letters...
Answer: C-A-T.

Riddle 2: Spell 'water' in 3 letters...
Answer: H-2-O.

Joke: Chuck Norris once won a game of Connect Four in 3 moves!

The French sentence 'un bonhomme haut comme trois pommes' (a 3-apple-tall fellow) and the German sentence 'ein Kerlchen drei Käse hoch' (a 3-cheese-tall fellow) mean both a pint-sized guy/child.

The most common three-letter words in order of frequency are: the, and, for, are, but, not, you, all, any, can, had, her, was, one, our, out, day, get, has, him, his, how, man, new, now, old, see, two, way, who, boy, did, its, let, put, say, she, too, use.

THREE in different languages

Indo-european | *TREYES, *TISORES, *TRI | Sanskrit | TRAYAH, TISRAH, TRIINI | Greek, Attic | TREIΣ TREIS, TRIA | Latin | TRES, TRIA |, Archaic Latin | *TREIES |

Italian tre; French trois; Spanish and Catalan tres; Provençal trei, tres; Portuguese três; Romanian trei; Romansh trais.

Old Germanic | THRIJIZ |

Dutch drie; German drei; Danish and Norvegian tre.

Old Slavic | TRI, TRIJE |

Russian три tri; Czech tři.

Evolution from 'seal script' to modern sinograph 三 : Old Chinese (pron.) | sâm |

Chinese 三 sān. The sinograph 零 is used as a replacement for sān in legal and financial documents.

Semitic root | Th-L-Th | Proto-Semitic | *SALATh | Ancient Egyptian [ḫmt'-] khemet; Akkadian shalash.

Arabic ثلاثة thalathâ; Hebrew שלושה shlôshah; Maltese: tlieta; Amharic sost.

HIDDEN