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.

The question that everyone has been dying to know has been answered. Finally! What will scientists study next?

  • Eager EagleEnglish
    13•5 hours ago

    the paper used the entire population (200 thousand) and would take some 10 ^ 10 ^ 7 heat deaths of the universe

    • Nougat
      27•4 hours ago

      It could happen the very first time a monkey sat down at a typewriter. It’s just very unlikely.

        • @[email protected]English
          2•44 minutes ago

          Weird how neither of those numbers are infinities. Almost like the numbers used are unfathomably small in comparison.

        • Nougat
          23•4 hours ago

          … the probability of the monkeys replicating even a single page of Shakespeare is unfathomably small.

          But not zero.

        • @scarabicEnglish
          3•3 hours ago

          So you’re telling me… there’s a chance!

          Sorry, I’m sort of lampooning comments like the one above and below you where people just can’t resist focusing on the possibility, no matter how ridiculously remote it seems. For myself, there’s a point of “functionally zero odds” that I’m willing to accept and move on with my life.

    • Rimu
      5•4 hours ago

      ok so the monkeys need to type faster

      • LvxferreEnglish
        1•2 hours ago

        If we’re considering even chimps “monkeys”, there’s already eight billion of them, I think that’s enough.