# Google Calculator is even smarter than I thought. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 11, 2005, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754 "2005-10-11T14:51:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/1 "2005-10-11T14:51:51Z")
I did a quick search and didn’t notice this posted in any of the other “Google is Great” threads. While having an inexplicable (and hopefully very temporary) brain fart, I forgot the answer to one of life’s most important questions. Very Ash "Klaatu Barada _cough cough_ Williams of me. Google’s calculator delivers the answer to this query: what is the answer to life the universe and everything Google Calculator rocks. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/2 "2005-10-11T15:17:15Z")
Oh yes! Very very cool! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/3 "2005-10-11T15:19:49Z")
Tres neato. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/4 "2005-10-11T16:46:31Z")
heh. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/5 "2005-10-11T16:56:17Z")
Brilliant. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/6 "2005-10-11T20:37:08Z")
Yet another reason to just love Google to pieces. Too cool. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/7 "2005-10-11T20:49:43Z")
I’d forgotten about Google calculator. Now I can tell my American friends how much I’m paying for gas… in units they can understand! Hmmm… 1.099 CAD per litre in USD per gallon… Damn. Yeah, that’s a lot of money. And now they’ll believe me! ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/8 "2005-10-11T21:25:45Z")
Well, it’s not \*all that \* - It doesn’t seem to know what the the angle of the dangle is proportionate to. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/9 "2005-10-11T21:32:40Z")
But it does seem to know how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/10 "2005-10-11T21:34:23Z")
> [@Gangster Octopus](#): > > But it does seem to know how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood Did it say “ZOT!!” ? ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/11 "2005-10-11T21:38:21Z")
(of all the keywords the Google ads could have picked up on in my OP, it decides the most important one is “fart”? And wants to sell us “_fart machines_”? Good Og, Google, I already have a husband and two cats. Feed the former and scare the latter for best results.) ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/12 "2005-10-12T03:11:12Z")
It’s all very well that it knows the _answer_ to Life, the Universe, and Everything, but does it know the _question_? Apparently not. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/13 "2005-10-12T04:27:35Z")
I had to check this out for myself. I posted the _exact_ same question the OP did and this is the answer it gave ME: the answer to life the universe and everything = 42 Remind me not to let Google do my homework for me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sengkelat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Sengkelat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sengkelat)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/14 "2005-10-12T06:46:56Z")
> [@SHAKES](#): > > I had to check this out for myself. > > I posted the _exact_ same question the OP did and this is the answer it gave ME: > > the answer to life the universe and everything = 42 > > Remind me not to let Google do my homework for me. 😃 Um…why not? That’s the correct answer. Or am I being whooshed? I’m stoked to discover easy units conversion is available from google. I don’t have to worry about finding a conversion site, it’s already right there. “two gallons in liters” produces an answer. Very cool. ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/15 "2005-10-12T17:39:15Z")
Ask Google "what is the answer to life the universe and everything in binary? 🆒 Ask Google "what is the answer to life the universe and everything in hex? 😃 AWESOME. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/16 "2005-10-12T18:00:53Z")
> [@Anastasaeon](#): > > (of all the keywords the Google ads could have picked up on in my OP, it decides the most important one is “fart”? And wants to sell us “_fart machines_”? Good Og, Google, I already have a husband and two cats. Feed the former and scare the latter for best results.) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/17 "2005-10-12T18:06:36Z")
[24 fortnights = 336.919938 sidereal days](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=24+fortnights+in+sidereal+days&btnG=Search) :eek: ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/18 "2005-10-12T18:08:39Z")
> [@Ghanima](#): > > Ask Google "what is the answer to life the universe and everything in binary? 🆒 > > Ask Google "what is the answer to life the universe and everything in hex? 😃 > > AWESOME. It knows octal too, but not ternary. Dang. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-calculator-is-even-smarter-than-i-thought/325754/19 "2005-10-14T01:54:38Z")
> [@Sengkelat](#): > > Um…why not? That’s the correct answer. Or am I being whooshed? > > I’m stoked to discover easy units conversion is available from google. I don’t have to worry about finding a conversion site, it’s already right there. “two gallons in liters” produces an answer. Very cool. Wooshed I think :). It is funny how everyone almost seems to accept that 42 really is the correct answer to the ultimate question, not just something out of a comedy/sci-fi novel!