h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Jus finished reading the book and am happy to be on board!

And we're just thrilled to have you

I see Vicki's left you a message on your space full of helpful information . Finding your way around alright?

Welcome to the Guide!

thanks!

6 x 9 =42 Post: 1Posted Feb 27, 2004 by Hardenbergh
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To whom may care,
Doesn't it seem to any other readers that the question for the answer 42
was definitively answered in the second book? When Ford and Arthur on
prehistoric earth pull letters out of the scrabble bag to get "What do you
get when you multiply six by nine?"
And that this seemingly nonsensical answer of 54 _*does_* have a bigger
meaning?
Which is that 6 x 9 = 54 is the answer using base ten; if we were to try to
think outside of our earthly box, base ten would be seen as terribly
parochial. We use it because we have evolved ten fingers.
So if one uses base thirteen, 6 x 9 = 42.
That works as an ok answer. If i want the ultimate meaning i gotta shift my
familiar frame of reference, eh?
Don't forget to breathe.

Yeah. Or maybe the alien race who programmed the computer that came up with the answer had 13 fingers, and so worked in base 13 all the time. It could happen.

ORRRRRR....
the cavemen that Arthur and Ford ran into in "Restaurant" could have had 13 fingers, and the Golgafrinchan's that landed there could have had only 10.

One of those wierd things that we'll never know the answer to until we meet Mr. Adams at Milliways.

it's been since i read the book... would the computer have used base ten?

also, i thought that base twelve was generally the better system. any math folks out there?

Douglas mentioned this once.

He said "I don't write jokes in base thirteen."