Three.

The binary number system, consisting of only ones and zeros, forms the backbone of the digital world we live in. A seemingly simple system in which everything, absolutely everything, is reduced to two symbols: on and off, yes and no, 1 and 0. It sounds clear. But as soon as one tries to count, a strange paradox arises. After all, it seems simple to go from zero to three, but that is where the confusion begins.

First zero. No problem, because nothing is nothing. Add one, and there you have it: 1. But what now? Add one again, and we go from 1 to… 10. It feels like you’re suddenly jumping to a whole different system. You still have two positions, but suddenly you have “10,” which doesn’t necessarily feel like two, but like a new entity. The jump to three? In binary: 11. That actually makes sense, but it still feels strange.

But here’s the rub. While the idea of “three” is self-evident in our decimal thinking, the concept of “counting” in binary terms becomes something… unnatural. We count further and suddenly you notice: you’ve already reached four – “100”. Four, while three seemed barely comprehensible. But what about two? Because even two, bizarrely enough, consists of three symbols in our minds: “two”, “double”, and “10”.

And then the realization dawns: if two feels so strange and elusive, how realistic is it to arrive at three in a natural way? And four? Impossible, at least in a way that makes our thinking comfortable. The binary system turns out to be not just a system of calculation, but an almost philosophical challenge.

In short: if “2” raises any doubts, “3” is completely out of the picture. And four? Well… let’s not even start on that.