Friday, August 31, 2007

A Google Query

What's the shortest string of lower-case letters and numbers (no spaces or other characters) you can type into google and not get any hits?

The shortest I've found so far, by non-systematic experimenting, is of length 5. I'd tell you what it is, but then it would be indexed by google and hence no longer work.

Oh, what the heck. I'll tell you anyway: zk4qj .

There. I've said it. And now. like Frankenstein, my lovely creation will soon be destroyed.

2 comments:

Alan Adamson said...

What a brilliant and wacky question! As you point out it can be asked again tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow (whoops, don't want to sound too Shakespearean).

Unknown said...

the real question is what is the lexicographically smallest string that exhibits this property?