A Conversation for The Myth Of 42 [(5-3+0+5) * (6+0) = 42]
CAN THIS BE CORRECT?
morg_the_furry Started conversation Apr 25, 2004
WELL LET'S SEE:
^7054 / ^4-0 = 41.99.......
IS THAT CLOSE ENOUGH?
CAN SOMEONE COME UP WITH ONE THAT GETS IT TO 42? I AM NO MATH WHIZ BY A LONG SHOT. SO ANYONE WHO CAN HELP, I'D BE ETRNALLY GRATEFUL TO.
MORG.
CAN THIS BE CORRECT?
Haylle (Nyssabird) ? mg to recovery Posted Apr 25, 2004
(-7) + 0 + 5 + 44 + 0 = 42 
CAN THIS BE CORRECT?
morg_the_furry Posted Apr 25, 2004
damn that was too easy. i wonder why i didn't see that sitting there in the darkness. thanx.
CAN THIS BE CORRECT?
Haylle (Nyssabird) ? mg to recovery Posted Apr 25, 2004
you were thinking too hard 
CAN THIS BE CORRECT?
morg_the_furry Posted Apr 25, 2004
ahh yes. the mystery of the more i think the less i'll actually accomplish. i love it when that happens. lol.
CAN THIS BE CORRECT?
morg_the_furry Posted Apr 25, 2004
also thinking back to the original post: is there some way to do it without the offending - prefix?
dave
CAN THIS BE CORRECT?
Potholer Posted Apr 25, 2004
According to my solution-finding progam, there doesn't seem to be any way just using +-*/ without the leading '-'.
If you don't mind a '!', you could have (amongst others) :
7*(0!+5)+4-4-0
Or with a single '^' you could have:
7*(0+5+44^0)
7^0+5-4+40
or the rather obscure
70/(5/(4-4^0))
CAN THIS BE CORRECT?
Marjin, After a long time of procrastination back lurking Posted Apr 25, 2004
Sure.
(7+0)*(5+(4/4))+0=42
CAN THIS BE CORRECT?
Potholer Posted Apr 25, 2004
Hmmm - my program didn't throw that one up, or even the simpler version:
7*(0+5+4/4+0)
I'll add that to my list of program failures to check out if/when I look at the code again.
There does seem to be the odd solution that gets skipped, and the obvious guess would be that it just isn't trying all the operators, however, if I give it 705330, it comes straight back with the answer in its various forms, but not with 705550, so it would appear I have something funny happening regarding division.
I *suppose* if I'd really looked at
7*(0+5+44^0)
it should have given me a large nudge towards the simpler solution.
CAN THIS BE CORRECT?
Haylle (Nyssabird) ? mg to recovery Posted Apr 25, 2004
What was wrong with mine?> 
CAN THIS BE CORRECT?
Potholer Posted Apr 26, 2004
Nothing was wrong with it, sweetness. 
It's just that the leading '-' can jar slightly from an aesthetic point of view.
CAN THIS BE CORRECT?
Jeremy (trying to find his way back to dinner) Posted Apr 28, 2004
I especially like this one:
7!*0!/5!*4!/4!*0! = 42
It has a ! for every single digit and alternating *s and /s between them ...
Jeremy
CAN THIS BE CORRECT?
Jeremy (trying to find his way back to dinner) Posted Apr 28, 2004
... an a 6.0 from the American jury ...
Oh, just by the way, that's one of my favourite mean tricks to get a 42ism going:
Take one part od the number and transform it into 7, take the other part and transform it into 5.
7! / 5! = 42
voilá!
Jeremy
CAN THIS BE CORRECT?
Marjin, After a long time of procrastination back lurking Posted Apr 29, 2004
I prefer the easier version of constructing 7*6 somehow.
CAN THIS BE CORRECT?
Argon0 (50 and feeling it - back for a bit) Posted Jan 27, 2005
Me likes the 7!/5! 
= 7x6....
Key: Complain about this post
CAN THIS BE CORRECT?
- 1: morg_the_furry (Apr 25, 2004)
- 2: Haylle (Nyssabird) ? mg to recovery (Apr 25, 2004)
- 3: morg_the_furry (Apr 25, 2004)
- 4: Haylle (Nyssabird) ? mg to recovery (Apr 25, 2004)
- 5: morg_the_furry (Apr 25, 2004)
- 6: morg_the_furry (Apr 25, 2004)
- 7: Potholer (Apr 25, 2004)
- 8: Marjin, After a long time of procrastination back lurking (Apr 25, 2004)
- 9: Potholer (Apr 25, 2004)
- 10: Haylle (Nyssabird) ? mg to recovery (Apr 25, 2004)
- 11: Potholer (Apr 26, 2004)
- 12: Haylle (Nyssabird) ? mg to recovery (Apr 26, 2004)
- 13: Jeremy (trying to find his way back to dinner) (Apr 28, 2004)
- 14: AK - fancy that! (Apr 28, 2004)
- 15: Jeremy (trying to find his way back to dinner) (Apr 28, 2004)
- 16: AK - fancy that! (Apr 28, 2004)
- 17: Marjin, After a long time of procrastination back lurking (Apr 29, 2004)
- 18: Jeremy (trying to find his way back to dinner) (May 1, 2004)
- 19: Argon0 (50 and feeling it - back for a bit) (Jan 27, 2005)
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