setTimeout delay doesn't wait for the timeout

setTimeout takes a function as an argument. You're executing the function and passing the result into setTimeout (so the function is executed straight away). You can use anonymous functions, for example:

setTimeout(function() {    writeNumber.html("1");}, 1000);

Note that the same is true of setInterval.

You need to wrap your statements in anonymous functions and also stagger your timings -

setTimeout(function(){writeNumber.html("1")},1000);setTimeout(function(){writeNumber.html("2")},2000);setTimeout(function(){writeNumber.html("3")},3000);

If you set everything to 1000 the steps will pretty much run simultaneously as the setTimeout function will run the task 1 second after you called the function not 1 second after the previous call to the setTimeout function finished.

Demo - http://jsfiddle.net/JSe3H/1/

You need to use a function reference to be invoked later when the timer expires. Wrap each statement in an anonymous function so that it isn't executed immediately, but rather when the timer expires.

setTimeout(function() { writeNumber.html("1"); },1000);

Also, you want to use a different delay value for each one so that the timers don't expire at the same time. See an updated fiddle at http://jsfiddle.net/RqCqM/