stringtonumber42

Stringtonumber42 is a fictional construct used in programming education to illustrate converting a string into a numeric value. It is not a standard library function, and there is no single canonical implementation; instead, several variants exist that share the same underlying idea: deterministically map a sequence of characters to an integer.

A representative variant computes a 64-bit integer by scanning the string from left to right, updating an accumulator with a polynomial rolling scheme and a fixed base (for example 31). After processing all characters, a constant of 42 is incorporated, such as by addition or an XOR, to finalize the result. The exact final step and parameters can vary between implementations, but the general approach remains consistent: transform characters into a numeric form through iterative combination and a final adjustment.

This construction emphasizes how character data can be translated into numbers and why choices about base, modulus, and the final adjustment affect distribution and collision tendencies. It is intended for instructional use rather than practical hashing, since it is not designed to withstand cryptographic analysis or adversarial input and does not provide formal guarantees.

Origin and variants: The name arose in informal programming discussions and puzzles, reflecting a playful approach to string-to-number mappings. Different implementations vary in base, modulus, and the exact final operation, but all aim for deterministic, repeatable outputs from the input string. See also related concepts such as string hashing, polynomial rolling hash, and character encoding.