It's not to be. Universe too short for Shakespeare typing monkeys

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2024-11-01 03:30:02

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 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.

Mathematicians, Associate Professor Stephen Woodcock and Jay Falletta from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), decided to examine the theorem using instead the limits of our finite universe.

"The Infinite Monkey Theorem only considers the infinite limit, with either an infinite number of monkeys or an infinite time period of monkey labour," said Associate Professor Woodcock.