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

This 42 number thing is too easy: (15+22+3+2)*1

I must try to find a more complicated version.

What about (1+5)*(2/2+3+2+1)=42 ?
Or (1+5+2/2)*3*2*1 = 42 ?

If you really *want* messier ones...

(1^5+2)^2+32+1
((1^5+2)!)^2+3+2+1
1+5+(2+2)!+3!+(2+1)!
1+(5!*(2/2)+3)/(2+1)
15+(2/2+3)!+2+1
(1+(5*2/2)^3)/(2+1)

Well thanks for that Marjin and Potholer. Clearly, as my maths teacher would've said, "Must Try Harder".

I don't do many by hand these days - I have a bit of code that throws up loads of solutions so I can pick out the nicer ones.

Ooh! What's the code written in? Can I get a copy?

Hey guys hope i'm not intruding but i really want a 42ism could you help me out? I'm a bit thick at maths, my U no is 1026290 now i need to know how to get 7 from 1026 cos then i can do it like (1026)x(2-9)

hope that makes sense

You almost were there.
(1+0-2)*6*(2-9+0)=42

Thank you very muchly

or, without brackets, but possibly a bit less neat:

1+02*6+29+0

<<(1+0-2)*6*(2-9+0)=42>> I have used this 42ism on my PS but ive had people tell me that it equals -42, is this right?

I think someone may have missed the fact that there are two negative numbers being multiplied together, which cancel out to give a positive answer.

(1+0-2)*6*(2-9+0) = (-1)*6*(-7) = +42

If the formula started (1+0*2)..., you would end up with -42 as a result ( (1)*6*(-7) = -42 ).

Cheers for clearing that up Potholer