Life, the Universe, and Math: 42 Proven to be the Sum of 3 Cubes
by Fnord666 from SoylentNews on (#4QA91)
MrPlow writes:
Submitted via IRC for chopchop1
The problem of 42 - at least as it relates to whether the number could be considered the sum of three cubes - has finally been solved. The question of whether every number under 100 could be expressed in this fashion has been a long-standing puzzle in the world of mathematics. Now, two mathematicians, Andrew Sutherland of MIT and Andrew Booker of Bristol, have jointly proven that 42 is indeed the sum of three cubes.
In the equation x3+y3+z3 = k, let x = -80538738812075974, y = 80435758145817515, and z = 12602123297335631. Plug it all in, and you get (-80538738812075974)3 + 804357581458175153 + 126021232973356313 = 42.
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.