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Saturday, November 02, 2024

Two Australian mathematicians have called into question an old adage, that if given an infinite amount of time, a monkey pressing keys on a typewriter would eventually write the complete works of William Shakespeare.

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As for the chimps, fuhgedaboudit.

As well as looking at the abilities of a single monkey, the study also did a series of calculations based on the current global population of chimpanzees, which is roughly 200,000.

The results indicated that even if every chimp in the world was enlisted and able to type at a pace of one key per second until the end of the universe, they wouldn't even come close to typing out the Bard's works.

There would be a 5% chance that a single chimp would successfully type the word "bananas" in its own lifetime. And the probability of one chimp constructing a random sentence - such as "I chimp, therefore I am" - comes in at one in 10 million billion billion, the research indicates.

#1 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2024-11-01 11:47 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

"It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times!"

#2 | Posted by TFDNihilist at 2024-11-01 08:16 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 5

Generally speaking, completely absurd claims do not need to be proven wrong.

But, yeah...whatever.

#3 | Posted by Angrydad at 2024-11-02 01:27 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

#2 - that is hilariously perfect Simpsons reference. Wish I could FF it!

#4 | Posted by YAV at 2024-11-02 02:06 PM | Reply | Funny: 1

They'd write a sorrowful song called "Peelings" to the tune of "Feelings."

(nod to Gary Larson)

#5 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2024-11-02 06:49 PM | Reply | Funny: 1

As phrased, it is misleading.

Are we talking about until the end of the universe? (Which IS a finite amount of time.) The current theory is that the universe as a whole will finally fizzle into decomposed hydrogen in about one trillion years.

Or are we talking about eternity? (Which by definition is an infinite amount of time.)

Imagine a googleplex number of "years" (-years are a human construct based on earth's revolving around the sun). Multiply that googleplex number of years up to the googleplexth power. Take that resulting number of 'years' and multiply that again up to the googleplexth power. Repeat that same process another googleplex to the googleplexth power number of times. And repeat that again by a googleplex to the googleplexth number of years. Etc...

Eventually the chimpanzee would succeed. The universe would be LONG GONE by then and the only thing that might exist would be a chimpanzee and his type writer. But eternity never ends.

#6 | Posted by moder8 at 2024-11-02 07:45 PM | Reply

My suspiciion is if you put William Shakesprare at a typewriter he couldn't do it either.

#7 | Posted by danni at 2024-11-03 12:47 AM | Reply

My suspiciion is if you put William Shakesprare at a typewriter he couldn't do it either.

#8 | Posted by danni at 2024-11-03 12:47 AM | Reply

I think the key in this theory is ... if given an infinite amount of time

Assuming infinity then all things are possible.

#9 | Posted by donnerboy at 2024-11-03 09:21 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

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