The number 243 is an integer that follows 242 and precedes 244. It is an odd number and can be expressed as the product of prime factors: 3^5 (three raised to the power of five). This means that 243 can be divided evenly by 3, making it a significant number in mathematics, particularly in number theory. In terms of its applications, 243 can be found in various contexts, such as in computer science where it may represent data sizes or in statistics as a possible sample size. Additionally, in geometry, 243 can relate to the volume of a cube with a side length of 6, since 6^3 = 216.