Mathematics and the Ultimate question of life, the Universe, and Everything

The number 42 is the “Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything” according to Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. In the story, an enormous supercomputer named Deep Thought is asked to find the answer to the ultimate question of life, and after pondering the question for 7.5 million years, it gives the answer as 42. The joke is that the characters do not know what the question is, so the answer is meaningless. However, the number 42 has since become a popular meme and cultural reference, with people often using it as a placeholder for a joke or punchline.