Organizing Threes

Information scientists tell us we use concepts, schemas and scripts, and personal theories to organize and store knowledge.  Looking at the library of knowledge that is Threes, we can conclude that Threes can be catalogued as:

Threes of detection: such as Newton’s laws, the Fibonacci series, and the theory of relativity.  They invite discovery. 

Threes of invention: such as the unifying concept of the Holy Trinity, commercial messages to sell, and comedy to entertain us.  They suggest structure.

Threes of convention: to promote conformity and compliance such as plumb, level and square, the three-light traffic signal, and “do not lie, cheat or steal.”  They provide standards. 

We think in threes.  We remember in threes.  We communicate in threes.  The amazing thread of threes runs distinctly, delicately and sometimes subtly through the fabric of ancient, classical and modern society. 

from Threes, Chapter 1, “The Wonder of Threes ”