G’day Jason, Barb, Dry, Joe, Lonewolf, Bjorn and all Meggsie fans
There we are! Ginger on the cusp of adulthood and asking the question to which those of us even six times his age have not found the answer. On the other hand,Benny not being quite at that threshold, becomes trite and puts humour into the unaswerable.
Maybe that is drawing too long a bow; don’t know, but I like taking Meggsie’s thoughts and bringing them into my life..
Went to a meeting last night at which members of a club fired the most trivial questions at the committee. It was as if the world was going to slip into oblivion if matters weren’t seen their way.
I wondered why they were there. I knew why I was there; it was in the hope of enjoying good company.
As far as wondering why I, personally, am here is concerned, I often wonder why I am aware of being me and nobody else, or even nobody at all. After all, I was nobody for zillions of years and it doesn’t seem to worry me.
What I do worry about is snuffing out and being nobody again forever.
It’s just a reference to the sci-fi novel “The hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy”, where forty-two is the answer to the ultimate question of the meaning of life, the universe and everything.
42 to the base (power I presume is meant) 32 is incomprehensible. The answer would surely be beyond the average computer to establish, much less beyond that of the author. Could you please elaborate how 6^32 plus 9^32 = 42^32. could be established as a fact, not just on any computer today but on one available at the time when ‘A Hitch-hiker …’ was written. Even differentiating a= nx^(n-1) for 42^32 gives a an inestimable value.
The entry was excessively long, and my mind wandered, but I think it was base 13, not base 32. 6 x 9 = 54 = (52 + 2) = 42 b 13 = [(4 x 13) + 2]. For most of us base 13 requires taking off at least one shoe and sock (on the same foot), at least it does for me..
Yes ottod, I tried that shoe thing too and felt so much better. I once saw a contortionist who could take off his shirt while still wearing his coat. It seemed to require no mathematical knowledge whatsoever.
Gee, Ginger must surely hate me now for turning this into a math class :)
Lemme see if I can clear things up…
That part of the paragraph actually refers (as ottod suggested) to the base of the numeral system used in question (not the power), the base can usually be interpreted as how many numbers (digits) are available in a particular numeral system (the decimal system (base 10) for example, which we normally use, has ten digits (numbers 0 through 9), while a base 13 numeral system would have thirteen valid digits (numbers 0-12, taking numbers such as 10, 11 and 12 as a single “digit”, or replacing them with letters a, b and c respectively), so number 13 in base 10 would actually be number ‘10’ (or a) in base 13.
One way in which you can calculate the equivalent to any integer in another numeral system without much garment removal is as follows:
Given a number 9x6 = 54 in base 10, which we want to convert to base 13, we perform integer division, with our given number (54) as the dividend and the base we want to convert it to (13) as the divisor.
54/13 = 4
Since it is integer division, we get a remainder of 2, which will be the first number (from right to left) of our final number.
Then we proceed to divide the quotient of our previous operation (4) by the base:
4/13 = 0
Again, since it’s integer division, we get a remainder of 4, our second number.
Since our quotient is now zero, all further divisions will yield zero, so there’s no need to continue dividing.
Arranging the two numbers we got from right to left:
42
Therefore 54 base10 equals 42 base13
I really hope that made any sort of sense :)
Also, when I posted “42?” I was not referring to your age (so very sorry if I offended you, it was not my intention), I was suggesting it as an answer to Ginger’s initial question (given it’s status as “the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything”)
The Duke 1 over 14 years ago
Morning, all!
kjaneh over 14 years ago
G’day all Megsie fans!! Love this one Jason.
COWBOY7 over 14 years ago
It is a late night for me but I can say a few words!
G’Day Joe, Jason, Usfellers and ALL Meggsie fans!
bald over 14 years ago
how can ginge be a latch key kid when he forgets his key for the latch?
Dry and Dusty Premium Member over 14 years ago
Morning JFri, Jason, Joe and usfellers!
Why are we here? Makes you wonder sometimes!
usfellers over 14 years ago
G’day Jason, Barb, Dry, Joe, Lonewolf, Bjorn and all Meggsie fans
There we are! Ginger on the cusp of adulthood and asking the question to which those of us even six times his age have not found the answer. On the other hand,Benny not being quite at that threshold, becomes trite and puts humour into the unaswerable.
Maybe that is drawing too long a bow; don’t know, but I like taking Meggsie’s thoughts and bringing them into my life..
Went to a meeting last night at which members of a club fired the most trivial questions at the committee. It was as if the world was going to slip into oblivion if matters weren’t seen their way.
I wondered why they were there. I knew why I was there; it was in the hope of enjoying good company.
As far as wondering why I, personally, am here is concerned, I often wonder why I am aware of being me and nobody else, or even nobody at all. After all, I was nobody for zillions of years and it doesn’t seem to worry me.
What I do worry about is snuffing out and being nobody again forever.
amingv over 14 years ago
42?
usfellers over 14 years ago
Hi amingv - 42 what? Years? Ginger is circa 12 years old. Six times that is 72.
amingv over 14 years ago
@usfellers
It’s just a reference to the sci-fi novel “The hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy”, where forty-two is the answer to the ultimate question of the meaning of life, the universe and everything.
More info: http://tinyurl.com/yhk4743
usfellers over 14 years ago
42 to the base (power I presume is meant) 32 is incomprehensible. The answer would surely be beyond the average computer to establish, much less beyond that of the author. Could you please elaborate how 6^32 plus 9^32 = 42^32. could be established as a fact, not just on any computer today but on one available at the time when ‘A Hitch-hiker …’ was written. Even differentiating a= nx^(n-1) for 42^32 gives a an inestimable value.
ottod Premium Member over 14 years ago
The entry was excessively long, and my mind wandered, but I think it was base 13, not base 32. 6 x 9 = 54 = (52 + 2) = 42 b 13 = [(4 x 13) + 2]. For most of us base 13 requires taking off at least one shoe and sock (on the same foot), at least it does for me..
usfellers over 14 years ago
Yes ottod, I tried that shoe thing too and felt so much better. I once saw a contortionist who could take off his shirt while still wearing his coat. It seemed to require no mathematical knowledge whatsoever.
amingv over 14 years ago
Gee, Ginger must surely hate me now for turning this into a math class :)
Lemme see if I can clear things up…
That part of the paragraph actually refers (as ottod suggested) to the base of the numeral system used in question (not the power), the base can usually be interpreted as how many numbers (digits) are available in a particular numeral system (the decimal system (base 10) for example, which we normally use, has ten digits (numbers 0 through 9), while a base 13 numeral system would have thirteen valid digits (numbers 0-12, taking numbers such as 10, 11 and 12 as a single “digit”, or replacing them with letters a, b and c respectively), so number 13 in base 10 would actually be number ‘10’ (or a) in base 13.
One way in which you can calculate the equivalent to any integer in another numeral system without much garment removal is as follows:
Given a number 9x6 = 54 in base 10, which we want to convert to base 13, we perform integer division, with our given number (54) as the dividend and the base we want to convert it to (13) as the divisor.
54/13 = 4 Since it is integer division, we get a remainder of 2, which will be the first number (from right to left) of our final number. Then we proceed to divide the quotient of our previous operation (4) by the base: 4/13 = 0 Again, since it’s integer division, we get a remainder of 4, our second number. Since our quotient is now zero, all further divisions will yield zero, so there’s no need to continue dividing.
Arranging the two numbers we got from right to left:
42
Therefore 54 base10 equals 42 base13
I really hope that made any sort of sense :)
Also, when I posted “42?” I was not referring to your age (so very sorry if I offended you, it was not my intention), I was suggesting it as an answer to Ginger’s initial question (given it’s status as “the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything”)
I’ll shut up now, you may return to the humor :)