Lucky Number Three

Have you ever wondered how come in computer games the lives comes in threes? Unless we play Contra I and II, (still remember this game anyone?) we key in a sequence of keystrokes to get 30 lives. Mario Bros, Bumblebee, Final Fight, Street Fighter (Best of THREE) even King of Fighters, where you choose three players in a team. Come to think of it, most academic conferences are also three days, the training that I conducted are mostly three days as well.

Even the Chinese believe that 3 is a good number, why this is so? You can look at the artifacts especially those made of bronze and iron, from Ancient China, most of them have three legs. I read from somewhere, the reason for this is that 3 legs when place strategically can provide the most stability with the least resources. This reasoning is quite logical given the fact that metals are rare and working on them takes a lot of skills and time, during those days. Even the Ancient Chinese Army are split into three groups, infantry, cavalry and archers or advance party, reinforcement and supply provision.

Another thing about the number three is that if you want to know whether the number has three as a factor, just add up the digits of the number and if the sum is divisible by three, then the number itself can be divided by three. For instance, if you want to find out if the number "545163" has a factor 3. You first add up the digits, which are 5+4+5+1+6+3=24 and the number 24 has a factor 3 in the first place, so the number "545163" will have a factor 3 as well. And any permutation of the numbers 5,4,5,1,6,3 will generate a number that has a factor 3 as well. Numbers like 455361, 165543, 565314 and so on will have a factor 3 in them.

Well if you are expecting me to give you an answer, I'm afraid not :) You can search the internet to see the prove for the mathematics, as for the number three in computer games and life, I have no idea why at the moment. Must be something psychological, that I can confirm. Any thoughts on it?

Oh yah, even the businesses I am doing have three focuses as well. And in the midst of developing a few more. Wonder I can handle or not? I NEED HELP!! :P

Cheers!