Jacket buttons

[sblanck]

So my wife is working on my argyll conversion and is sewing on the buttons. She also made my prince charlie. Her question is why three buttons, three on the sleeves three across the pocket flaps. I beleive three on the coat tails of the prince charlie. Anyone know? Thanks


Sean

[thescot]

I guess because there aren't two?

[Chef]

Her question is why three buttons,

It's all based on mathematics.

You see three is the first odd prime number, and the second smallest prime. It is both the first Fermat prime (2²º + 1) and the first Mersenne prime (2² - 1), as well as the first lucky prime. However, it's the second Sophie Germain prime, the second Mersenne prime exponent, the second factorial prime (2! + 1), the second Lucas prime, the second Stern prime. Three is the first unique prime due to the properties of its reciprocal. Three is the third Heegner number. Three is the second triangular number and it is the only prime triangular number. Three is the only prime which is one less than a perfect square. Any other number which is n² - 1 for some integer n is not prime, since it is (n - 1)(n + 1). This is true for 3 as well, but in its case one of the factors is 1. Three non-collinear points determine a plane and a circle. Three is the fourth Fibonacci number and the third that is unique. In the Perrin sequence, however, 3 is both the zeroth and third Perrin numbers. Three is the fourth open meandric number. therefore we use buttons in groups of three.

I hope that helps clear it up for you.

[JimB]

It's all based on mathematics.

You see three is the first odd prime number, and the second smallest prime. It is both the first Fermat prime (2²º + 1) and the first Mersenne prime (2² - 1), as well as the first lucky prime. However, it's the second Sophie Germain prime, the second Mersenne prime exponent, the second factorial prime (2! + 1), the second Lucas prime, the second Stern prime. Three is the first unique prime due to the properties of its reciprocal. Three is the third Heegner number. Three is the second triangular number and it is the only prime triangular number. Three is the only prime which is one less than a perfect square. Any other number which is n² - 1 for some integer n is not prime, since it is (n - 1)(n + 1). This is true for 3 as well, but in its case one of the factors is 1. Three non-collinear points determine a plane and a circle. Three is the fourth Fibonacci number and the third that is unique. In the Perrin sequence, however, 3 is both the zeroth and third Perrin numbers. Three is the fourth open meandric number. therefore we use buttons in groups of three.

I hope that helps clear it up for you.

Who said tailoring wasn't a science!

[auld argonian]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxmKRyLdBho


Best

AA

[mbhandy]

It's all based on mathematics.

You see three is the first odd prime number, and the second smallest prime. It is both the first Fermat prime (2²º + 1) and the first Mersenne prime (2² - 1), as well as the first lucky prime. However, it's the second Sophie Germain prime, the second Mersenne prime exponent, the second factorial prime (2! + 1), the second Lucas prime, the second Stern prime. Three is the first unique prime due to the properties of its reciprocal. Three is the third Heegner number. Three is the second triangular number and it is the only prime triangular number. Three is the only prime which is one less than a perfect square. Any other number which is n² - 1 for some integer n is not prime, since it is (n - 1)(n + 1). This is true for 3 as well, but in its case one of the factors is 1. Three non-collinear points determine a plane and a circle. Three is the fourth Fibonacci number and the third that is unique. In the Perrin sequence, however, 3 is both the zeroth and third Perrin numbers. Three is the fourth open meandric number. therefore we use buttons in groups of three.

I hope that helps clear it up for you.

OK-----Sew???

MrBill

[cavscout]

It's rooted in a philosophy similar to the yin-yang, while 3 is an odd number, there are two (even) sets of buttons to maintain harmony or balance.

[Daaaaang]

It's all based on mathematics.

…

Dang! You beat me to it. But I figured "at least I can start singing Three is a Magic Number" but then I see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxmKRyLdBho

Dangit you guys you have taken all of my options, daaaaang yooooooou!

Best,
Matt!

[Chef]

OK-----Sew???

MrBill

The tongue-in-cheek point we are trying to make is just that it is what it is. Maybe there was some history in the military or elsewhere as to why three buttons was originally chosen, but now it's really just about the style. It just looks right I guess. If you want more or less than three buttons somewhere by all means...

Of course everyone will snicker at you for not knowing you're supposed to have three buttons.

[turpin]

It's aesthitics. The Japanese do it in Bonsai - Never use an even number of trees in a forest grouping.

It could have been five buttons, but three is the lowestm and therefore least expensive odd number. Thrifty eh?