int42

Int42 is a hypothetical fixed-width integer data type used in discussions of data representation and in programming pedagogy. It denotes an integer that occupies 42 bits, a non-standard width not defined by major language specifications.

Range and semantics: For signed int42, the range in two's complement would be from -2^41 to 2^41 - 1. For unsigned int42, the range would be 0 to 2^42 - 1. As with other fixed-width integers, arithmetic overflow typically wraps around, and standard bitwise operations apply.

Storage and representation: Because 42 is not aligned to typical byte boundaries, a strict 42-bit value would be stored in an implementation-specific way—commonly in six bytes (48 bits) with unused high bits, or packed into a larger integer using bit-fields or masks. Endianness affects serialization rather than the numeric value itself.

Operations and usage: int42 would support the usual integer operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, modulo, and bitwise shifts. Signed variants would implement two's complement arithmetic; unsigned variants would treat values as non-negative. In practice, int42 is used only in teaching materials, data serialization examples, or theory discussions about fixed-width representations and storage efficiency. It is not part of standard libraries and is not portable across compilers.

See also: fixed-width integer, bit-field, C/C++ integral types, arbitrary-precision integer.