# B A question about the significance of 3

1. Jun 16, 2017

### Tanelorn

2. Jun 16, 2017

### Staff: Mentor

A very quick answer about the significance of $2$:
We have a quadratic electromagnetic force which is all around.
Newtons quadratic gravitation is a pretty good model for everyday experiences.
The normal distribution that is applicable almost everywhere in nature goes with $e^{-t^2}$.
Our entire logic (true / false), ethics (good / bad), spirituality (ying / yang), most of biological processes (reproduction, cell division), computer arithmetic (0 / 1) and so on are all based on two.
Our functions which we use to describe the universe are subsets of a product space $X \times Y$.
There is matter and antimatter, spin up and down, Pauli's exclusion principle - all $2$.

Summary: You could do this for a lot of numbers: $0\; , \;1\; , \;\pi\; , \;e$ or whatever. This doesn't carry any insights and IMO is pure esoteric. You mentioned the standard model, but it's fundamental group so far is $U(1) \times SU(2) \times SU(3)$, so it's $(1,2,3)$ or $(1,3,8)$ depending on how you want to look at it. To pick the three from it is a bit randomly.

Last edited: Jun 16, 2017
3. Jun 16, 2017

### Staff: Mentor

Don't forget the all important number 42 .

4. Jun 16, 2017

### sophiecentaur

Arghhh here comes Numerology again.

5. Jun 16, 2017

### phinds

Exactly. @Tanelorn, you're pissing up a rope on this one.

6. Jun 16, 2017

### marcusl

That mixes at least two separate metaphors!

7. Jun 16, 2017

### phinds

I don't think so. It's an old military saying. Maybe if it had been 3 ropes

8. Jun 16, 2017

### Orodruin

Staff Emeritus
Whereas looking at another arbitrary number 3 is numerology, it is significant that these two numbers are the same (not 3 necessarily) for anomaly cancellation in QFT so I would even say that the OP is just a list of two numbers (not three) that happen to be the same.

9. Jun 16, 2017

### marcusl

That doesn't invalidate my observation...

10. Jun 16, 2017

### phinds

I still disagree. Explain yourself, please.

11. Jun 16, 2017

### marcusl

Ok
Just because you heard it in the military doesn't mean that someone (in the military) didn't combine pissing into the wind with pushing on a rope.

12. Jun 16, 2017

### phinds

Sounds like you are missing the point completely. This has nothing to do with pushing. Think what happens if you stand under a rope and piss up it.

13. Jun 16, 2017

### marcusl

Ok, we've gotten off topic here. (We won't discuss your ability to stand and piss upwards onto a rope above you ))

14. Jun 16, 2017

### Staff: Mentor

Although it does seem like the most useful part of the thread

15. Jun 16, 2017

### Staff: Mentor

This is so broad that it falls into numerology. If you have a specific question about the relationship between a certain number and a specific concept in physics then feel free to ask, but please try to keep the focus narrow if you want to attract high quality answers.

It appears this thread is done.