The expression "3!" represents the factorial of the number 3. Factorials are a way to calculate the product of all positive integers up to a given number. In this case, "3!" means multiplying 3 by every whole number less than it, which are 2 and 1. Therefore, the calculation is 3 × 2 × 1. When you perform the multiplication, you get 6. This means that there are 6 different ways to arrange 3 distinct objects. Factorials are commonly used in mathematics, particularly in areas like combinatorics and probability, to determine possible arrangements or combinations.