See: ZeroOneInfinityRule
Similar: Anthropologists note that a primitive culture used the three numbers: one, two, many
Should FourBlankCards be limited to ThreeBlankCards?, One - for what we know, Two - for what we need, Three - for the simplest.
Fwiw, many "primitive cultures" use such a system. For example, in some Australian aboriginal peoples, larger numbers (if needed) are stated simply as, eg. two and two and one.
Hmmm - so the Aussie Aboriginals were into binary arithmetic first?
A similar concept is the 'grillion'. It means 'more than 12' and is used as an indication of a wild level of excess. eg. How many pints did he drink, how many cars does he have, jobs he's been sacked from etc