Why is "3" so significant in human culture?

Question

Is it me, or is the number 3 everywhere we look?

It's often known as the "magic" number?

But why is it so significant? Obviously there's the Holy Trinity, from Christianity (and probably a few other religions), but it goes way beyond that - in Homer's Iliad, Achilles chases Hektor around the walls of Ilium three times, and this is just one instance of "three-ness" in the epic. OK, so I haven't shown how it's everywhere we look, but surely I'm not alone in noticing how frequently it pops into our world. Does anyone know why this number is so significant?

Answer 1

i guess two is significant too

Answer 2

It's my favorite number.

Answer 3

Not really significant until we get the 3 dollar bill...lol...

Answer 4

3i3dont3know3what3your3talking3about3i3n...

Answer 5

Because its an "odd" number.  duh.

Answer 6

wow, I don't know, but I do know when I go to the grocery store, and I buy an item I use a lot, I usually buy three so I won't have to go back and get it again and again...

Answer 7

It first became significant back when humans only had 3 fingers, therefore they used 3 quite frequently. Then as we grew more fingers, 3 just seemed to stick anyway.

Answer 8

Just like "third time's the charm" or "connect three" (camp rock) you start to remember things by the age of 3. on a baby's key chain toy there are normally 3 keys.

three is just popular.

Answer 9

that's a good question... maybe it's because three is just enough to be a significant number, but not too great.... Three's company, maybe?  again excellent question.

Answer 10

its not really, there are many other numbers considered holy, i don't really believe any of it

Answer 11

A lot of things in nature occur in 3's.  Crystals form 3 sided shapes, breaks in the earths crust happen in 3's.  Naturally the 3 means stability.  It is the most prismatic shape that can be stable.  Even more so than the cube.  

The US govt has a 3 house system because it provides more stability than a 2 or one house system.    

Answer 12

the reason there are 3 of many things is because it provides an opportunity to have 2 extremes and one mediator, moderate, or balance to both (as in a third party mediator or the point of a triangle).

It is also a very common number in nature (there are 3 phases of the moon, 3 parts of the day) and religions are mostly based in nature and the sun. Things on earth often happen (by coincidence maybe) in multiples of 3 and holy scriptures too:

12 signs of the zodiac, each 30 degrees

World ages, 24000 years

And so on...

Answer 13

I think something really great started it and that kept it going.

Also, everybody loves triangles

Answer 14

Depending on the culture it can be good or bad

Good things coming in threes...people dieing in threes ,,ect.

Answer 15

Because third time's a charm!

Answer 16

3 has structural qualities that hold things together. ie a triangle is strong: a trip pod can stand easier than two legs;3 dimensions gives a comprehensive view of a situation or object.  

3 has a complete lyrical quality of its own. ie jokes, poems and songs have a 3s in them.

3 is the number of the basic family. ie man, woman, and  child

3 is important in some of the most basic structures of human life. its like the circle, the circle has just as many symbolic and practical qualities.

Answer 17

Maybe it's because "3" forms a triangle..?  I don't know but it's food for thought... 3 is my fave number