why is this the meaning of life
what does it stand for
2006-07-30 03:52:09 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
In The Hitch-Hiker's Guide a computer is built to calculate the answer to life, the universe and everything. It eventually comes out with 42.
Of course this makes no sense, so they ask the computer what it's talking about. The computer replies "well, you didn't specify exactly what the QUESTION was, so of course the answer makes no sense!" So it then designs another computer to work out the question...
Douglas Adams, the author, chose 42 because it was a nice, normal-sounding number with nothing special about it at all. So the whole thing's a joke, basically:-)
2006-07-30 08:58:50 · answer #1 · answered by Alex 42 2 · 11⤊ 1⤋
It was the answer calculated by the computer "Deep Thought" in Douglas Adams' book. HAL 9000 or Heuristic ALgorithmic was the computer in Arthur C Clarke's 2001 series.
From the Douglas Adams series: we're messed up cause we're asking the wrong question. What do you get when you multiply 5 by 9? We know the answer to the question of Life, the Universe and Everything is 42, but we're asking the wrong question.
2006-07-30 12:45:23 · answer #2 · answered by quntmphys238 6 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Read the Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
2006-07-31 13:50:08 · answer #3 · answered by greebo 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It was the answer calculated by Hal the computer in Douglas Adams' book The Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy
2006-07-30 10:55:45 · answer #4 · answered by Paul B 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋
A machine was made in the "hitch hikers guide to the galaxy" (book film etc) to find the meaning of life and this was the answer. it took millions of years to churn out the answer of 42, which no one understood and so another machine was made to interprit it......
2006-07-30 11:29:28 · answer #5 · answered by Mark G 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
'cos they are going to build a motorway though the galaxy and earth is in the way mate, sorry more than my jobs worth to tell yer more
2006-07-30 18:36:26 · answer #6 · answered by TOG 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
if you subtract 1 from this number 42 times you will get to zero.
2006-07-30 11:39:10 · answer #7 · answered by nobody 2 · 13⤊ 2⤋
It's the number of eggs needed to fill the grand canyon.
2006-07-30 11:23:32 · answer #8 · answered by Vertigogo... 2 · 5⤊ 1⤋
Try watching the hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. All will become clear. Well, sort of.......
2006-07-30 11:06:26 · answer #9 · answered by diana - b 4 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Flip knows
2006-07-30 10:56:21 · answer #10 · answered by The librarian 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋