  Let $p$ be a fixed prime. For a finite group generated by elements of order
$p$, the $p$-width is defined to be the minimal $k\in\mathbb{N}$ such that any
group element can be written as a product of at most $k$ elements of order $p$.
Let $A_{n}$ denote the alternating group of even permutations on $n$ letters.
We show that the $p$-width of $A_{n}$ $(n\geq p)$ is at most $3$. This result
is sharp, as there are families of alternating groups with $p$-width precisely
3, for each prime $p$.
