Three of Life: the Perfect Number

We eat three meals a day and use three utensils. There are three branches of the military. We use three letter acronyms such as NBC, FDR, JFK, FBI, and IRS. We eat BLTs, and we learn the ABCs. The number "three" permeates our lives. In Three of Life, author Louis Komzsik examines the unique role that this number plays in life.

Three of Life focuses on the diverse mathematical roles of the number as a geometric and arithmetic building block as well as a gatekeeper of, or a gateway to, infinity. It also discusses appearances of the number in places ranging from historical occurrences, to archaeological finds, to religious symbols, and to biology and physics.

In this light-hearted narrative, Komzsik describes the spectacular role that the number three plays in our physical lives-from biology to the mechanical world to the planetary motions. The number three has occupied a prominent role in human history for thousands of years and has demonstrated an intrinsic presence in our physical life.