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

So far I've got:

27901 = ( 2 * 7 ) * sqrt( 9 ) * ( 0 + 1 ) = 42

but I don't like the square root too much.

Is there a nicer way to do it?

Hmmmmm, I'm not keen on the sqrt either, but this time gonna haf to let it go, can't think of an alternative (that is neater)....

with an extra 0 out the front I can do:

U027901: ( (0!) / ((-2+7)!) ) * ( (9 - (0!) -1)! ) = 42

...but its not exactly less messy...

I was trying to get to a 7! / 5! result, but couldn't figure out how to invert the 5! / 7! once I got that far...

I never thought of adding a leading zero... is that cheating or can I get away with it since I have a 5 digit number???

I think theres a large continuum of increasing dodginess, of which adding leading zeros is fair to middling dodgy. Its probably one of those unanswerable questions as to wether adding leading zeros is more or less dodgy than using sqrt, though I've a feeling adding zeros is more dodgy than sqrt.

Indeedy - yes - I'm still checking your Maths on that one though HenryS....

Oh, nice one - good use of Factorials there!

I suppose that since no one could get to my page using 'U027901' in the url, it's going to be too dodgy to get away with.

might not be eliganter but less brackets...
-2+7-9+0!+invtan(1) =42 assuming using degrees not radials.
Hope you like...

I like...

I take it invtan is more acceptable than sqrt then?

At least it's original, not many people can boast an invtan

There are a few InvTans out there - notably Mark Moxon (U13) and Jeff (U109000) - and I reckon InvTan is slightly more acceptable than sqrt - as sqrt really means x^0.5 or x^(1/2).....

In that case, I'll adopt the invtan...

Excellent....

Some people might have an invtan but who can boast a tan, an invsin and a cos in theirs?

-55+7+tan(0)+invsin(cos(0)) = 42