4 8 15 16 23 42 solved?

[Carbito]

They are GPS co-ordinates.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sh/47743274/

"why didn't I think of that" ;)

[djmc26]

actually it seems to be logically on ROUTE of the plane (although they said they were out of normal route) ...
i think its true, and also i think there are many other right theries that will fit each inside the other, like a gigantic puzzle....
chinese boxes...

[shockwave04]

How many more things can those numbers be???

[Eoin]

How many more things can those numbers be???
Well im gona use those numbers for the lotto ;)

[TechnoWraith]

They are GPS co-ordinates.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sh/47743274/

"why didn't I think of that" ;)

What does a spot in the middle of the pacific ocean have to do with anything? :confused:

[Morbo]

What does a spot in the middle of the pacific ocean have to do with anything? :confused:

umm...they are on an ISLAND...aren't they?

also, this was stumbled upon roughly 4 minutes after the numbers appeared on the episode.

[TechnoWraith]

umm...they are on an ISLAND...aren't they?

also, this was stumbled upon roughly 4 minutes after the numbers appeared on the episode.

Ohhhh... I haven't seen all the eps in Lost yet, sorry.

[Morbo]

Ohhhh... I haven't seen all the eps in Lost yet, sorry.

sorry i didn't mean to sound like ass either.

[Naeara]

Hmmm...that's interesting. I was thinking they might be coordinates after a scene is ep 202. When that countdown started and Desmond told Locke to punch in the numbers and hit execute...it seemed to me almost like Desmond had to check in with someone/something. Like he would punch in his coordinates and whomever was on the other side would know that that site was still active. Just a thought I had.

[defina91rvc]

add all the numbers up you get 108. subtract 108 from hurleys net worth in millions and you get 48 the number of original survivors.

4-8-15-16-23-42 are all retired Yankee Jerseys.
-just thought i'd throw that in in honor of the yankees winning.

[NowIWillDestroyAbydos]

From TV Guide: 4 8 15 16 23 42. Those number might have won Hurley $156 million in the lottery, but they've bedeviled him ever since, not to mention everyone else who brushed up against them.

[Atlantis1]

Alot of good possiblities. Wouldn't surprise me if the writers have more in mind. Me thinks they are having a blast messing with our heads. :p

[A-bomb]

They are GPS co-ordinates.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sh/47743274/

"why didn't I think of that" ;)

Man youre one smart cookie. maybe I should wait until 2006 when bludy channel 7 shows season 2. chances are theyll forget about it and ill never know. But I know im just ruining it for myself.

[Eoin]

add all the numbers up you get 108. subtract 108 from hurleys net worth in millions and you get 48 the number of original survivors.

4-8-15-16-23-42 are all retired Yankee Jerseys.
-just thought i'd throw that in in honor of the yankees winning.
Cool...smart thinking :)

[steve17]

Well im gona use those numbers for the lotto ;)
I wouldnt if i were you, you know bad luck:rolleyes:

[Eoin]

I wouldnt if i were you, you know bad luck:rolleyes:
lol....i can see what happens ;) Thank God im not supersticious(sp?)

[Qtyled]

Found an interesting theory on another forum. Here's my shameless rip-off:

The DHARMA logo

IMG:http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/2928/snapshot200509291636492wr.png

The standard I Ching template

IMG:http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/4601/bagua6ha.gif

Grab the I Ching chart, draw the DHARMA serpent/swan/whatever that is on the logo in relation to the chart and what do you cross over?

(IMG:http://img276.imageshack.us/img276/5425/ichi1lm.jpg)

4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42

[Ascended Times.2]

*Gasp* You guys have taken this to far....! Jk....although, damned nice fines people :)

[florence]

I wouldnt if i were you, you know bad luck:rolleyes:
I did it ! :D
Didn't win... didn't notice anything bad happening to me either... well, except not winning lotto :p

[MartoufMarty]

... My god, what nerds! :P

That is so cool.

Especially the bit with 108, Hurley's winnings, and 48 :P

[GateGeak]

Are they really though? Didn't the pilot estimate the plane was about 1000 miles of course? Based on the map, does it appear the island would really fall within that approximation?

[Qtyled]

Are they really though? Didn't the pilot estimate the plane was about 1000 miles of course? Based on the map, does it appear the island would really fall within that approximation?
Yes. 1000 miles on a world map is only like... a little bit.

[plaw15]

What does a spot in the middle of the pacific ocean have to do with anything? :confused:
That's one of the reasons were watching the show.

[KayMan2k]

What does a spot in the middle of the pacific ocean have to do with anything? :confused:

Probably nothing. I doubt that they are really meant to resolve to that GPS location. Notice how the numbers are divided and not just digits 4815162342. That matters.

That location is too on-route for a plane that is 1,000 miles off course.

[GateGeak]

That location is too on-route for a plane that is 1,000 miles off course.

That's what I thought when I saw the map. LA is about 7000 miles from Sydney and the location on the map looks within 1/7 of that route which would NOT put the island 1000 miles of course as originally stated by the pilot.

[Silent Todd]

That's what I thought when I saw the map. LA is about 7000 miles from Sydney and the location on the map looks within 1/7 of that route which would NOT put the island 1000 miles of course as originally stated by the pilot.

Actually, this does make sense. The spot they crashed would be fairly close to the original course. The pilot lost radio contact and turned around, placing them 1000 miles off of the location they should have been when they lost contact, but still near some point of the original course. I don't know much about aviation, but it seems to me the pilot would have tried to return to Sydney, rather than fly 1000 miles due north or south towards nothingness.

[GateGeak]

Actually, this does make sense. The spot they crashed would be fairly close to the original course. The pilot lost radio contact and turned around, placing them 1000 miles off of the location they should have been when they lost contact, but still near some point of the original course. I don't know much about aviation, but it seems to me the pilot would have tried to return to Sydney, rather than fly 1000 miles due north or south towards nothingness.

Yes, but if the plane's instruments were being compensated, lets say by the electromagnetic field of the island, he wouldn't know where due north or south is. I too am not knowledgable in aviation, but I would guess a magnetic problem would make the plane's instruments go a little nuts, not just reflect north as south or visa versa.

[Tiret]

Everybody and their mother is using those numbers to play the lottery now

STOP! THE NUMBERS ARE BAD! THE NUMBERS ARE BAD!

;)

[ste]

i just put the numbers into google earth,
if you type 4 8 15 16 23 42, it brings you somewhere in africa.

but, it you type 4.815 162.342 ya get close to an island like in the map in the link, thats deadly

[Cinephilic TV Addict]

there's also the ways in which the numbers are being worked into the show. i've noticed some other ones that i've forgotten, but the most obvious ones are 8 15 (they were on flight 815) and that the *spoilers*



number of survivors from the tail section was originally 23. probably isn't coincidence, but then again the writers could have just put the similar numbers in for fun and not plan to go anywhere with them.

[Three PhDs]

That's what I thought when I saw the map. LA is about 7000 miles from Sydney and the location on the map looks within 1/7 of that route which would NOT put the island 1000 miles of course as originally stated by the pilot.Speaking as a pilot in my spare time (hence reasonably qualified to say), I'll let you know that aircraft (particularly commercial ones) don't often fly in straight lines, and especially not on long haul flights. The location in the pic could very easily be 1000 miles off their designated course.

[Cinephilic TV Addict]

Just remembered some other ways they use the numbers -

23 is - the number of tailies, the row which jack sat in, and 23,000 was the amount kate's ransom was for

42 is - the row in which ana lucia sat in

they use these numbers all the time - it'd definitely be cool if the GPS thing turned out to be right, but then again, it'd be even better if it was something that nobody would ever think of (as long as they stay 'plausible' in the lost sense)

[Tiret]

The individual numbers were also on the backs of the soccer players' uniforms that were on the plane. (I think they were soccer players, in the final flashback of season one?) Perhaps everyone on the plane is associated with the numbers in some way? The numbers seem to 'mark' everyone who was brought to the island.....in the case of the military folk, the transmitting numbers were even what lured them to the island in the first place.
The only thing not fully accounted for in my theory on the show's plot is this string of numbers. They seem to have an apparent function, but I'm stumped as to their origin. Some of you might be onto something with some of the other associations you've found.

[The Signal]

Could be time co-ordinates, how long they will be on the island

Months (4,8(4years)) Weeks (15) Days (16) minutes(23) seconds(42) okay so its a bad theory, but I was looking at a timer when I was thinking about what they meant :D

[jjcabelinho]

http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=11/30812262045.jpg&s=x11

http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=11/30812270335.jpg&s=x11

i don't know.. take a look! :eek:

[Tiret]

Okay, so I was bored a little bit ago, and decided to look for mathematical relationships between the cursed numbers on Lost. (You know that I’m officially obsessed with a TV show when it can drive me to crunch numbers…math is really NOT my favorite subject.)

Anyway, when I started examining the set of numbers itself, I noted that there are 6 numbers total in the sequence, 4 and 8 are the only single digits, 15 and 16 are consecutive…and there are two 1’s, two 2’s, two 4’s, one 3, one 5, one 6 and one 8.

I then started looking for ways to link the numbers together in a related progression. I soon realized there are a lot of ways to link some of the numbers to each other, but I’ve yet to find any pattern that applies to all of them at once. I suspected this would be the case. I did notice a few things that are a little interesting, though they aren’t particularly helpful in solving the mystery of the island…

I’ve always thought it odd that only the first two ‘numbers’ in the string are single digits, and all the rest are double.
4, 8…..versus…..15, 16, 23, 42

So I started thinking, what if you combined the first two numbers together, to create another double digit: 48, 15, 16, 23, 42
I noticed that this made the ends of the string kind of symmetrical:

Moving inward from the ends: 4 doubled is 8, and 2 doubled is 4. The left end number (48) is also worth twice the right side (42), if you go by the sums or multiples of their individual digits.
(4 + 8 = 12 and 4 + 2 = 6, with 6 being half of twelve)
Additionally, 48 – 42 = 5 …which is the number of ‘numbers’ you get when you group those two single digits together.

Finding this, I tried to find a way to make the middle three numbers look symmetrical as well, but I was not as successful. I found that if you add together the individual digits of each of the middle three groups, you’ll get: 6, 7, and 5.
(1 + 5 = 6, 1 + 6 = 7, and 2 + 3 = 5)
The two ends being 6 and 5, it kind of echoes the larger sequence in that the left side is bigger, but it’s not twice as big.

It’s also somewhat interesting to note that seven is the center of the sequence (when you express the numbers this way…), seven being a common ‘story’ number.

If you fiddle around with it, you’ll find lots of other meaningless ways you can relate these numbers!

However, the question is: do any of these observations tell us anything at all about the show’s plot?

…I highly doubt it. :)

(What it does tell us is that I have far too much time on my hands.)

For the record, though, I defy anyone to be more number obsessive than this! :D


~ Have a great day, everybody!


…Oh, and if there’s any math people reading, please be merciful if I use incorrect terminology and/or make other mistakes. I envy your gift, but have it not.
Thanks. ;)

[KRiZ]

For those who have been watching season 2, all the numbers add up to 108

which is the number the clock counts down from in the bunker

Also 108 is an important number in buddhist beliefs and the whole Dharma philosphy.

[Three PhDs]

Also 108 is an important number in buddhist beliefs and the whole Dharma philosphy.In what respect? I haven't heard of it. :s

[Sgt.Pepper]

I found another location link to the numbers

48.15 1.62342 if u move the decimal place around you get different places, some in africa, some in bering strait, some in where ppl think the island is... but this one take you to FRANCE, i knew the frenchies were the problem.

[KRiZ]

In what respect? I haven't heard of it. :s

sorry the dharma stuff has links to Taoism, the logo is called Bagua

the eight trigrams in the religious one all have meanings and all list directions, north, south etc...

but also Dharma is in buddhism it's the search for enlightenment, being locke's quest. Its the union of nature and the universe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/108_%28number%29

the 108 reference i was looking for held sacred in buddhism and hinduism, which as previously stated have dharma as a central belief.

[Three PhDs]

sorry the dharma stuff has links to Taoism, the logo is called Bagua

the eight trigrams in the religious one all have meanings and all list directions, north, south etc...

but also Dharma is in buddhism it's the search for enlightenment, being locke's quest. Its the union of nature and the universe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/108_%28number%29

the 108 reference i was looking for held sacred in buddhism and hinduism, which as previously stated have dharma as a central belief.Yeah, but it only says on one line it's sacred in Buddhism, and I've never come across anything like that in Buddhism. :s

[KRiZ]

Try researching deeper then! Wiki is never wrong!

and if not buddhism then its hinduism where dharma started, so the link holds its just my inepitude for remembering religion

[Three PhDs]

Try researching deeper then! Wiki is never wrong!

and if not buddhism then its hinduism where dharma started, so the link holds its just my inepitude for remembering religionWell, Siddhartha was a Hindu Brahmin before becoming the Buddha :p

[Naonak]

My head hurts...
:S :S :S

[NowIWillDestroyAbydos]

I learned on Attack of The Show (http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/index.html) that the numbers don't mean anything. Link: http://www.darkhorizons.com/news05/051117a.php

[Erised]

wow that Oceanic web site thing is just creepy! :S

[Osiris-RA]

How many more things can those numbers be???
Maybe somehow they're Stargate co-ordinates. ;) :D

[Tiret]

Maybe somehow they're Stargate co-ordinates. ;) :D

Aha! Quite possible, that is. There are six numbers, after all, meaning that it could be the coordinates of a planet, all you would need to do is add your point of origin, and off you go. Cool! ...Now I can while away the hours finding bizarre and unlikely ways to translate the 'Lost' numbers into gate symbols! (Boy, don't tempt me!)

Of course, that's not the only way you can create hypothetical parallels between Lost and Stargate...hey, do we have a thread devoted to that yet, by the way? I haven't checked lately. ;)

[ste]

anyone notice this, the flight was "Oceananic Flight 815"

now my theory is the 16 23 42 was the time the flight took off at, eg 16:23:42 which leaves the 4, ive no idea four that.

now its just an idea

[Morbo]

the numbers were on the RX bottles in the hatch.
also on the outside of the hatch as a marker.

the broadcast of the numbers was probably a radar marker for incoming planes or boats or something to find the island or the bunker.

the fact they were picked as lotto was just coincidence - or done intentionally so hurley would end up on the plane.

[Osiris-RA]

Aha! Quite possible, that is. There are six numbers, after all, meaning that it could be the coordinates of a planet, all you would need to do is add your point of origin, and off you go. Cool! ...Now I can while away the hours finding bizarre and unlikely ways to translate the 'Lost' numbers into gate symbols! (Boy, don't tempt me!)

Of course, that's not the only way you can create hypothetical parallels between Lost and Stargate...hey, do we have a thread devoted to that yet, by the way? I haven't checked lately. ;)
Yeah, it's quite plausible. How numbers would be translated into gate co-ordinates...that seems a bit tricky.

Hmm, paralleling Lost with Stargate. ....oh great, now I'm gonne be thinking about this all night...

[Tiret]

Hmm, paralleling Lost with Stargate. ....oh great, now I'm gonne be thinking about this all night...

[burst of inexplicably sadistic laughter]:D

You see my plight! I only wish I had the DVD's. It'd make it so much easier to scour the two shows for similarities!

[skrip00]

they are GPS coordinates in google maps.

cut and paste them into the google map search field and it will fit them together for you.

that previous picture was way off. Also how come no one has responded to the star thread, i find that more intriguing.

[Erised]

according to TV-Guide magazine, the numbers will appear in one of the upcoming Veronica Mars episodes!

[Commander Ivanova]

That's one freaky sudoku, don't even know where to start!

[telpethoniel]

http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=11/30812262045.jpg&s=x11

http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=11/30812270335.jpg&s=x11

i don't know.. take a look! :eek:

Could it be the coordinates for the island where Lost is set?
The first picture could make this work

[SmallTimePerson]

try going to www.4815162342.com, its a real site on lost
this thread is interesting though, all the numbers mean something in the show btw. http://www.4815162342.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4748

[Ender1708]

4 8 15 16 23 42 may be GPS coordinates but they're not on that spot from the link...... :)
It's very simple actually, the first 3 numbers represent the distance from the ecuator and that means that these coordinates are 4 degrees 8 minutes and 15 seconds north of the ecuator and the other 3 represent the distance from the first meridian (in this case east of it), and we know for certain that they're below the ecuator because it's almost imposible to go from australia to the ecuator in 2 hours :) (plus, they were heading in the opposite direction, even if they lost radio contact and were off course i really don't think the pilot was that dumb not to see he was going west instead of east :) )
After figuring this out i checked it on Google Earth :) it points to somewhere in the far east of the Central African Republic, they could very well be GPS coordinates that don't point at them but a key or something :)

PS if you don't belive me check it out yourselves :)

PPS The things you can do with these numbers is impossibly huge, so i think it's best not to stress about it that much, we're all gonna find out what's with the numbers when the time comes and we're all gonna be perplexed, saying "so that's what it was", but the theories are very interesting :)

[Ender1708]

ooooook..... after i last posted i started playing with the numbers in google earth and i put in by mistake 4 81 5 16 23 4 when i wanted to put 4 8 15 16 23 42 ...... try it, and see what you find :)

PS still don't think it means anything, just that....what a coincidence :)

[Osiris-RA]

... My god, what nerds!
You ain't seen nothin' yet. :p

On a variety of lists compiled by people with too much time on thier hands, the numbers are often a recurring motif in th action of the show. Danielle was on the island for 16 years, 4 is the number of times Ana wa shot and knocked on the door, 8 is the number of years Claire's been preggies before the crash, 23's the gate the doomed plane left from.

I think the numbers represent something much bigger. Somehow, they fit into my theory that the Losties have all had thier memories erased, a la Collateral Damage and that they're really the very replacements, or scientists, that they seek to get answers from. An experiment gone awry? Deliberate self psycological experimentation? Who knows...for now.

*mysterious music*

[claires]

if u add up 4 8 15 16 23 and 42 u get 108 in seson 2 the man has to push the button evry 108 minuits that is so not a coinsidence, hurly has 58 million dollars take that away from 108 you get 48 the number of passngers that survied the crash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!