Find three integers $n_1, n_2, n_3$ such that $n_1^3 + n_2^3 + n_3^3 = 42$

Asked Apr 01 '19 at 00:29

Active Apr 01 '19 at 01:05

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I tried to find a solution to $n_1^3 + n_2^3 + n_3^3 = 42$ using a computer program, but so far I haven't found a solution.

asked Apr 01 '19 at 00:29

Count Iblis

4

I believe it is still unknown. See, e.g., this – lulu Apr 01 '19 at 00:31
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For many followers the question of "Why 42?" has been an enjoyable part of the enigma. Adams kept his magic in the tin, never revealing (other than to his friend Stephen Fry, who claims he'll take the secret to his grave) the full story. Several theories have circulated and a few of these Adams selected for deflation; the idea that he had been paying tribute to Lewis Carroll, who also used the number; that he had been joking in a base 13 number system; or that it was an obscure reference to the traditional number of rulers of Tibet. Adams was ever meticulous in his choice of words and numbers. – Will Jagy Apr 01 '19 at 00:56
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/feb/03/douglas-adams-42-hitchhiker – Will Jagy Apr 01 '19 at 00:58
$42$ is still open and not so easy. See this MSE-post and many other posts (it is really popular). After $42$ it comes $74$ as the next open case. – Dietrich Burde Apr 01 '19 at 09:10
There is a good YouTube video on this (unsolved) problem: "42 is the new 33" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASoz_NuIvP0 – awkward Apr 01 '19 at 20:59

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