From: aproden@ac.dal.ca (Andrew P. Rodenhiser)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.douglas-adams
Subject: Re: 6*9=42(13)
Date: 27 Aug 92 10:07:18 -0300
Organization: Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

In article <17hvf2INN34@darkstar.UCSC.EDU>, hermit@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (Ron O'Dell) writes:
> 
> In article <92Aug26.121503edt.262@smoke.cs.toronto.edu> pedmonds@cs.toronto.edu ("Philip G. Edmonds") writes:
>>In article <17fl0qINNpnu@darkstar.UCSC.EDU> keeper@deeptht.armory.com writes:
>>>   The fact that 6 x 9 = 42 base 13 means nothing with regard to
>>>   this series, because the Answer is written and spoken `forty-two'.
>>You can't speak in letters or digits.  The great computer Deep Thought
>>SAID `42' or `forty-two' which you can interpret any way you like.  
> 
> You can't say `42'.  `42' is merely two symbols which represent a concept.
> Depending on the base numbering system, `42' can be any number.
> 
> `Forty-two', on the other hand, is not a representation, but the number itself.
> Its definition is clear: Four tens and two.
> 
> So, in base thirteen, the answer to six times nine is represented by 42,
> but that is not forty-two.  It is fifty-four -- five tens and four.

But when represented in base 13 as `42', the number reads `Four Thirteens
and Two', not `Forty-Two' or `Fifty-four'

Regardless, DNA chose `The Answer' as 42 because he thought it was a 
boring, featureless number, and he liked how it was not a prime or
a factorial or a perfect square or anything else distinguishing.  He
thought it was an average, uninteresting number.  Obviously, he was
wrong!! :)

> 
> It would seem less messy if we had proper base-thirteen names for numbers
> between those which are represented by the numerals `9' and `10'.  But we
> don't.  Those two numbers you see represented there are, of course,
> `nine' and `thirteen'.

We could always make some up, mathematicians use A through E to 
represent hexadecimal 10 thru 15 but I'm surprised there are no 
silly names for these.

Actually, for base 13 you can count eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve
quite easily without sounding decimal.  but when you get to thirteen
we still need a word to represent the base numeral so you can say
`10' sensibly.

> 
> Please, people, differentiate between the abstract concept of numerals
> and the concrete concept of numbers.
> 
> Here I am, a writer and all, talking about numbers!  Heck, I had to get out
> a calculator to work out six times nine!  Ah well ... the computation is
> beyond me, but the concepts aren't.
> 
Hopefully you got the right answer on your calculator :)

> 
> I hereby grant permission for this article to be included in the FAQ list.
> 
For what it's worth, me too!
> -- 
> --- keeper@deeptht.armory.com (Ron O'Dell)   Do >not< mail hermit!
> 					     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Andrew Paul Rodenhiser   |  You are the only censor.
Department of Chemistry  |  If you don't like what I'm saying,
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APRODEN@ac.dal.ca        |   --Alice Cooper, Lay Down & Die, Goodbye.
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Organization: Freshman, CIT general, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA