A Conversation for Ask h2g2
42!
Argon0 (50 and feeling it - back for a bit) Posted Apr 6, 2001
ditto!
Just realised that by using Inv Tan you can get Mark Moxon's (U13) to work
Thus
INvTan(1) - 3 = 42.
So he can stay then...
42!
Gullibility Personified Posted Apr 10, 2001
Can a law be made stating that any number will, given the correct processes, turn into 42?
42!
Galaxy Babe - eclectic editor Posted Apr 10, 2001
@Cloviscat.
I was just going to type that to Peregrin when I spotted your answer underneath.
Hehehehe
Are we all getting expert mathematicians or what? 
42!
Gnomon - time to move on Posted Apr 10, 2001
Since when has 0^0 been 1? I think you are pulling the wool over our eyes here, like in those proofs that 1 = 2.
42!
Argon0 (50 and feeling it - back for a bit) Posted Apr 10, 2001
Anything to the power of 0 is 1 - including 0 (just asked my Brother (University Lecturer in Maths) and he concurs). Theoretically you could use it to prove that anything equals anything else (numerically) and thus that Black is White (e.g. Black is No. (
hang on while I look this up.....) 000000 on the Web and White is FFFFFF - so 000000^0 = 1 and FFFFFF^0=1 so Black=White .... Oh Sh*t where'd that 10 tonne truck come from ..... aaaaarrrrrgh.....).
42!
Gullibility Personified Posted Apr 16, 2001
That is strange! Although it makes a lot more sense the way you explaing it than it will when my m***s teacher tries to...*wince*
But maths isn't that bad...I guess...go read "The Parrot's Theorum".
42!
HenryS Posted Apr 16, 2001
I reckon 0^0 is undefined - yeah 0^anything is 1, but also anything^0 is 0. So if you're ranging over x and y looking at the value of x^y you get a discontinuity at (x,y) = (0,0).
Whoever researcher 2 is ('Nobody' it seems...), I can do theirs:
-log(log(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(sqrt(e))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))/log(2) = 42.
(That'd better be natural log by the way)
42!
NMcCoy (attempting to standardize my username across the Internet. Formerly known as Twinkle.) Posted Apr 17, 2001
Anything ^0 is 1. Take this for example.
10^3 = 1000
10^2 = 100
10^1 = 10
10^0 = 1
10^-1= 0.1
10^-2= 0.01
10^-3= 0.001
...and so on. It works with other numbers, but 10 is the "cleanest" because we use base 10.
42!
NMcCoy (attempting to standardize my username across the Internet. Formerly known as Twinkle.) Posted Apr 17, 2001
Um, 153916? What can you do with that?
42!
Gnomon - time to move on Posted Apr 17, 2001
Anything to the power of 0 is 1, except 0^0. The reason it is an exception is that 0 to the power of anything is 0.
You can approach this problem from two different directions:
10^0 = 1
1^0 = 1
0.1^0 = 1
0.01^0 = 1
and so on. This would lead you to believe that 0^0 = 1.
But:
0^10 = 0
0^1 = 0
0^0.1 = 0
0^0.01 = 0
and so on. This would lead you to believe that 0^0 = 0.
Mathematicians get around this by saying that 0^0 is "undefined". It does not have a value. It is one use of the "^" symbol which is forbidden.
42!
Gnomon - time to move on Posted Apr 17, 2001
1-5-1+50-3
Is there a prize for using only + and - ?
42!
The Jester (P. S. of Village Idiots, Muse of Comedians, Keeper of Jokes, Chef and Seraph of Bad Jokes) LUG @ A458228 Posted Apr 17, 2001
Here's one for Abi:
- log (base 2) 8 + artan 1 = -3+45=42!!!
And for myself:
-5 - 5 + 7 + ( 9 * 5 ) = -3 + 45 = 42!!!
38-J
JOTD: A friend in need is a fiend indeed.
42!
Argon0 (50 and feeling it - back for a bit) Posted Apr 17, 2001
Yeah, OK after talking to my Bro again this past w/e, I have to concur that there are two possible values of 0^0 - 0 and 1.
Both are valid, in a similar way to sqrt(x) having two values (e.g. sqrt(4) = ±2 (2 or -2)) This is because -2 * -2 = 4 and 2 * 2 =4. This is true of any "even" root (e.g. 4th root of 16 = 2 or -2) as the negatives "cancel" out, but for "odd" roots there is only one answer (e.g. cube root of 8 = 2 BUT not -2 (-2 Cubed = 8)... So you can get a "cubed" root of a negative number, but not a "Square" root (well you can but its called an imaginary number!.
The reason I use 1 as the value of 0^0 is, it is useful to use that value, and it is the answer that my calculator gives me.
Oh, and I'm not sure that introducing an extra number is a legitimate strategem (i.e. e = 2.7182818285....) although I wouldn't rule out natural logs (I haven't found them useful yet though!) 
42!
Argon0 (50 and feeling it - back for a bit) Posted Apr 17, 2001
WHOOPS - that should read ....(-2 cubed = -8)..... Don't know what happened to that negative!!!!
42!
Gnomon - time to move on Posted Apr 17, 2001
Personally, I would rule out any use of letters at all: I don't think that log, sqrt and e should be used. I would restrict all this to + - * / ^ and (). Possibly ! as well.
But that would spoil the fun.
42!
Gnomon - time to move on Posted Apr 17, 2001
My calculator gives an error if I try to calculate 0^0.
Key: Complain about this post
42!
- 21: Peregrin (Apr 6, 2001)
- 22: Cloviscat (Apr 6, 2001)
- 23: Argon0 (50 and feeling it - back for a bit) (Apr 6, 2001)
- 24: Gullibility Personified (Apr 10, 2001)
- 25: Galaxy Babe - eclectic editor (Apr 10, 2001)
- 26: Gnomon - time to move on (Apr 10, 2001)
- 27: Argon0 (50 and feeling it - back for a bit) (Apr 10, 2001)
- 28: Gullibility Personified (Apr 16, 2001)
- 29: HenryS (Apr 16, 2001)
- 30: Galaxy Babe - eclectic editor (Apr 16, 2001)
- 31: NMcCoy (attempting to standardize my username across the Internet. Formerly known as Twinkle.) (Apr 17, 2001)
- 32: NMcCoy (attempting to standardize my username across the Internet. Formerly known as Twinkle.) (Apr 17, 2001)
- 33: Gnomon - time to move on (Apr 17, 2001)
- 34: HenryS (Apr 17, 2001)
- 35: Gnomon - time to move on (Apr 17, 2001)
- 36: The Jester (P. S. of Village Idiots, Muse of Comedians, Keeper of Jokes, Chef and Seraph of Bad Jokes) LUG @ A458228 (Apr 17, 2001)
- 37: Argon0 (50 and feeling it - back for a bit) (Apr 17, 2001)
- 38: Argon0 (50 and feeling it - back for a bit) (Apr 17, 2001)
- 39: Gnomon - time to move on (Apr 17, 2001)
- 40: Gnomon - time to move on (Apr 17, 2001)
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