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five

Five is the natural number that follows four and precedes six. It is written as 5 in most modern notation and as V in Roman numerals. The English word five derives from Old English fif, related to other Germanic forms, and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root penk- meaning “five.” The prefix pent- in words such as pentagon and pentathlon also stems from the Greek pente, meaning five.

In mathematics, five is a prime number, with only 1 and itself as divisors. It is the

Five appears in many cultural and practical contexts. Humans typically have five senses and five fingers on

third
prime
and
is
also
a
pentagonal
number,
appearing
as
5
in
the
sequence
of
pentagonal
numbers.
In
common
numeral
bases,
five
is
represented
as
5
in
decimal,
101
in
binary,
and
5
in
hexadecimal.
The
symbol
V
for
five
in
Roman
numerals
reflects
an
early
form
of
the
tally
system.
a
hand,
contributing
to
the
prominence
of
the
number
in
everyday
life.
Classical
traditions
often
speak
of
five
elements
(such
as
earth,
water,
air,
fire,
and
aether)
and
of
pentagonal
or
pentagram
shapes
in
art
and
symbolism.
The
vowel
system
in
many
languages
is
organized
around
five
letters,
and
well-known
constructs
include
the
Five
Pillars
of
Islam
and
the
five
Olympic
rings,
which
symbolize
unity
among
five
inhabited
continents.
In
geography,
the
“Five
Boroughs”
of
New
York
City
is
a
common
reference.