# Need math problem to crash 80's CPUs

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-math-problem-to-crash-80s-cpus/631443>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 14, 2012, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-math-problem-to-crash-80s-cpus/631443 "2012-08-14T06:03:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
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**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-math-problem-to-crash-80s-cpus/631443/8 "2012-08-14T06:52:14Z")

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Is the story set in the 1980’s, or is it an old computer?

In 1975 Martin Gardner published his “Hoax integer” e[sup]π √163[/sup] which is ridiculously close to, yet not equal to, the integer 640320[sup]3[/sup]+744. Perhaps your character tries to test whether the hoax integer is larger or smaller than its nearby integer, a task likely to overtax a computer since its first 12 digits to the right of the decimal point are .999999999999.

(I have some boring stories of real incidents from a previous lifetime. For example, when early 370/165’s were retrofitted to support the MVCL instruction, some couldn’t handle the activity and their power supplies crowbarred off!)

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