42

42 is the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. It is precise, correct, and almost entirely useless without context. Its discovery was the result of an extensive computational effort, which many felt should have produced something more elaborate, or at least longer. The significance of 42 has been debated extensively, often by those who find comfort in the idea that the universe makes sense, provided one does not ask follow-up questions. Attempts to determine the corresponding question have been complicated by the destruction of Earth, which was intended to calculate it. As a result, 42 remains both one of the most important and least helpful pieces of information in existence.