Forty-two

Forty-two (42, XLII) is the natural number following forty-one and followed by forty-three.

Its factors are 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 14, 21 and 42.

• 42 is also a sphenic number and a Catalan number.

It is bracketed by twin primes.

See also: forty

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42 is also:

• The answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything, according to Douglas Adams' book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
• For this very reason the number is sometimes used in connection with computers; for instance it's included in the beginning of every TIFF-file to identify it as such.
• The atomic number of molybdenum.
• The total number of spots on two conventional dice.
• 42 is the maximum total number received of any one present in The Twelve Days of Christmas.
• In Lewis Carroll's book The Hunting of the Snark, (before Douglas Adams' tome was written) the baker left 42 pieces of luggage on the pier.
• Level 42 is the name of a band.
• The number of men of Beth-azmaveth in the Census of men of Israel upon return from exile (Holy Bible, Ezra 2:24)

• For the year AD 42, see 42.