42 *IS* The answer to Life, the Universe and Zeta

Posted byHemos on Monday March 27, @09:04AM
from the douglas-adams-was-right dept.

Venusian Treen writes “In their search for patterns, mathematicians have uncovered unlikely connections between prime numbers and quantum physics. The gist is that energy levels in the nucleus of heavy atoms can tell us about the distribution of zeros in Riemann’s zeta function - and hence where to find prime numbers. This article discusses this connection, and introduces two physisicts who tell us ‘why the answer to life, the universe and the third moment of the Riemann zeta function should be 42.’”

This is why I love SlashDot.com. It truely is my news for nerds. I don’t even like math but things like this, for some reason, I find interesting. And according to the article, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, wasn’t too far off.