As far as workers are concerned, the ideal number is 22-24.
As a general rule, you build 2 workers for each crystal and 2-3 (based on distance) for every vespin gysir.
Any more will just clutter your ressource field and drain ressources, and as a Terran, you should always have 1-2 workers less so that there is space for your mules.
Every worker needs time to be build and costs 50 minerals. If you produce for example 35 instead of 21 workers (terran base, 1 vespin gysir only needs 2 for optimum), you have wasted 14x50=700 minerals for little to no benefit.
Yes, someday you might need them in your next expansion, but until then, those minerals would have been useful to upgrade your troops, or instead, build 14 marines, or 28 zerglings, or 5 marauders, or a few supply depots and bunkers, etc.
Oh, and - every worker needs supply. This in time forces you to buy (waste more minerals) on supply buildings/units you otherwise would not have to. And since there is a unit maximum, it's a good idea to keep the workers balanced and to generally have as few as you need and nothing above neccessary.
The idea is not to put as many workers as possible for a bit more efficiancy into your base, but to give every single worker a purpose for existance and to utilize every crystal you have in order to push an early techno+unit advantage. That is why it's not a good idea two build past 22/24. It will take minutes for those workers to actually get the crystals back that you used to build them.
Thus, why not leave them be and use the ressources instead for much better purposes?
As a general rule, you build 2 workers for each crystal and 2-3 (based on distance) for every vespin gysir.
Any more will just clutter your ressource field and drain ressources, and as a Terran, you should always have 1-2 workers less so that there is space for your mules.
Every worker needs time to be build and costs 50 minerals. If you produce for example 35 instead of 21 workers (terran base, 1 vespin gysir only needs 2 for optimum), you have wasted 14x50=700 minerals for little to no benefit.
Yes, someday you might need them in your next expansion, but until then, those minerals would have been useful to upgrade your troops, or instead, build 14 marines, or 28 zerglings, or 5 marauders, or a few supply depots and bunkers, etc.
Oh, and - every worker needs supply. This in time forces you to buy (waste more minerals) on supply buildings/units you otherwise would not have to. And since there is a unit maximum, it's a good idea to keep the workers balanced and to generally have as few as you need and nothing above neccessary.
The idea is not to put as many workers as possible for a bit more efficiancy into your base, but to give every single worker a purpose for existance and to utilize every crystal you have in order to push an early techno+unit advantage. That is why it's not a good idea two build past 22/24. It will take minutes for those workers to actually get the crystals back that you used to build them.
Thus, why not leave them be and use the ressources instead for much better purposes?