What Does the Number 42 Mean? Here's the Explanation

What does the number 42 mean?

42 is the meaning of life in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a comedy science fiction book and pop culture franchise created by Douglas Adams. In Chapter 27 of the book, a supercomputer called Deep Thought answers "the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything" with "42" after pondering it for millions of years. After giving its answer, however, Deep Thought designed the Earth as a new computer that would eventually figure out what the Ultimate Question was.

Why is 42 the meaning of life?

Douglas Adams didn't reveal why 42 is the answer to life in his books. Adams never revealed the significance of 42 to anyone before he died in 2001 except one person: actor Stephen Fry, who says he'll take the secret to his grave. However, many fans speculate Adams chose the number (at least subconsciously) because of his experience as a computer programmer. In the ASCII computer programming language, the number 42 is code for an asterisk (*). An asterisk is sometimes called a wildcard in programming because it can stand for anything the programmer wants. According to this theory, the reason the number 42 is the meaning of life is it's whatever you want it to be. 42 could also refer to page 42 the 1971 edition of Hitch-hiker's Guide to Europe by Ken Welsh, which Adams took inspiration from. On that page, the book remarks how people traveling to the United Kingdom to search for their ancestral roots found "the answer a little disappointing." Adams echoes the above statement in his book when the supercomputer Deep Thought tells the two men asking him for the answer to the meaning of life, "You're really not going to like it."

Some fans theorize it’s a base 13 joke—but Adams denied this. A base system is a system for counting and calculating numbers. In base 13, 6 x 9 = 42. While the true significance of 42 as the meaning of life is unknown, Adams shut down many popular theories, including one suggesting he was using the 13 base system in mathematics in a joking way. In the sequel to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy – called The Restaurant at the End of the Universe – the main character, Arthur Dent, tries to trick his subconscious into revealing the Ultimate Question that 42 supposedly answers. In doing so, he writes, "What do you get when you multiply six by nine?" But according to Adams, this was a coincidence!

42 Meaning in Religion

Buddhism In a Buddhist text called Abhidharmakośabhāṣya from the Sarvastivada school of thought, human beings are described as having 42 mental factors. Mental factors are how human beings perceive and interact with the world in their consciousness. Another school of thought called Chittamatra lists 51 mental factors, so the exact number varies depending on which Buddhist teachings you prefer.

Christianity The number 42 is a significant number in the Bible, especially in Revelations and Psalms. In Revelations, 42 months is mentioned in 4 separate verses. According to many Biblical scholars, this time period refers to half of the 7 years of tribulation in the End Times when the Anti-Christ will rise and persecute the Jewish people. Psalm 42 is also a famous Biblical passage, particularly for its first verse, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God."

Judaism In Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism, one of God's names is 42 letters long. These letters are encoded in the first 42 words of Genesis which describe the creation of the universe, as well as in many Jewish prayers such as the Ana beKho'ah. Many Kabbalists view these 42 letters as the spiritual sequence God used to create the universe. 42 is also the number of locations the Israelites camped in the wilderness after their escape from Egypt in the Book of Exodus. In this context, 42 might symbolize the spiritual journey human beings take throughout their lives to draw closer to God.

42 Meaning in Numerology

42 combines the energies of the numbers 4 and 2. Numerology is the belief in the spiritual energy behind different numbers and how they coincide with or affect our lives. 4 is associated with focus and stability, as well as building solid foundations. 2 is associated with balance and harmony. Combined as 42, they represent strong, positive relationships and a balanced life.

42 Spiritual Meaning

42 may be a message from your guardian angel to find balance and self-discovery. In spirituality, numbers are believed to be messages from our guardian angels. If you see angel number 42 a lot, your angel may be telling you that your life is out of balance somewhere (perhaps in work and your personal life), and you need to fix it. It's also a sign you should start living life to the fullest and discover more about yourself.

42 Meaning in Programming

42 represents the asterisk in computer programming. In the computer programming language ASCII, the asterisk symbol is a placeholder for whatever variable or meaning the programmer wants. It's also represented by the number 42. For this reason, many fans of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy speculate that 42 is the meaning of life because it's whatever the person living it wants it to be.

42 in Binary

42 is represented by 101010 in binary code. Binary code is a coding language used to instruct computers on what to display on the screen. It only uses two digits, 1 and 0, so each whole number is a combination of those two digits. 42, in particular, is represented by 101010.

42 Meaning in Physics

42 degrees is the angle at which a rainbow is most visible. When a ray of light passes through a raindrop, it gets reflected and then refracted (or bent) off the raindrop's circular walls. The angle it bends is 42 degrees. During this process, the white light from the sun separates into its individual wavelengths, creating the bands of color in the rainbow. Sun rays must enter the raindrops at an angle of 42 degrees or lower above the horizon to make a rainbow.

42 Meaning in Baseball

42 was legendary Brooklyn Dodgers player Jackie Robinson's number. Robinson became the first Major League Baseball (MLB) player in 1947 after he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers as a baseman. That same year, he won Rookie of the Year and would go on to win the Most Valuable Player award in 1949. The MLB retired his player number in 1997 out of respect for his history-making achievements as a Black man in athletics.

The Bottom Line

42 has many meanings across pop culture, religion, science, and sports. Most people recognize it as the meaning of life delivered by the supercomputer Deep Thought in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a science fiction book by Douglas Adams. But it's also a significant number in Buddhism, Christianity, and Judaism, as well as the angle at which a rainbow is visible and Jackie Robinson's player number. As with all numbers, 42's meaning is whatever you make it!