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AnonTechie [soylentnews.org] writes:

A new study reveals it would take far longer than the lifespan of our universe for a typing monkey to randomly produce Shakespeare. So, while the Infinite Monkey Theorem is true, it is also somewhat misleading.

A monkey randomly pressing keys on a typewriter for an infinite amount of time would eventually type out the complete works of Shakespeare purely by chance, according to the Infinite Monkey Theorem.

This widely known thought experiment is used to help us understand the principles of probability and randomness, and how chance can lead to unexpected outcomes. The idea has been referenced in pop culture from "The Simpsons" to "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and on TikTok.

However, a new study reveals it would take an unbelievably huge amount of time—far longer than the lifespan of our universe, for a typing monkey to randomly produce Shakespeare. So, while the theorem is true, it is also somewhat misleading.

[Covered By]: PHYS.ORG [phys.org]

[Source]: University of Technology, Sydney [uts.edu.au]

[Journal Ref]: A numerical evaluation of the Finite Monkeys Theorem [sciencedirect.com]

Original Submission