This pattern somewhat always amazed me, as if anything can be decomposed into three components. As if the vector space of universe definitions is R^3.

What I often find myself doing when trying to understand something, is decomposing it into its three most basic things. This number has a mysterious embedding.

Examples:

  • Proportional, Integral, and Derivative (PID) controller that’s very popular and works very well with linear systems.
  • RGB dimensions where three colors can represent any other color.
  • Attention mechanism of Transformers is made up of three fundamental components: Key, Value, and Query. (This makes me very bullish that in fact, attention is all we need for AGI)
  • GPS uses three points to triangulate precise locations.
  • Human Body can be described as a combination of muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems.
  • Boolean logic consists of three basic operations AND, OR, and NOT.
  • The universe is made up of three types of subatomic particles: Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons.
  • Projects can be evaluated based on three constraints: Scope, Time, and Cost.
  • Many economic models are based on three agents: Firms, Households, and Government.
  • The structure of DNA consists of three components: Phosphate group, Sugar group, and a Nitrogenous base. Also, the genetic code is based on triplets of nucleotides (codons).