A recent study led by Australian mathematicians finds that not even a population of chimpanzees could replicate the works of Shakespeare in the lifespan of the universe, revealing the limitations of the infinite monkey theorem.
New Study Debunks Infinite Monkey Theorem's Feasibility
New Study Debunks Infinite Monkey Theorem's Feasibility
Australian researchers challenge the long-held belief that monkeys could eventually type Shakespeare given infinite time.
An age-old adage suggests that if a monkey had infinite time, it could type out the complete works of William Shakespeare. However, a new study from Australian mathematicians Stephen Woodcock and Jay Falletta from Sydney has thrown cold water on this long-standing notion by demonstrating that such an occurrence is not just improbable but practically impossible.
The researchers analyzed the so-called "infinite monkey theorem," traditionally used to illustrate principles of randomness and probability. Their findings reveal that a single monkey could not replicate Shakespeare's plays, sonnets, and poems within the already unimaginably long timeline of our universe's existence.
The study goes beyond the capabilities of an individual monkey by addressing the global population of chimpanzees, estimated at around 200,000. Even if every chimp could contribute by typing at a rate of one key per second until the end of the universe, the likelihood of them collectively creating Shakespeare's extensive body of work remains astronomically low. For context, there exists just a 5% chance that any one chimp would successfully type the word "bananas" during its lifetime, and chances of crafting a coherent sentence like "I chimp, therefore I am" fall at one in 10 million billion billion.
Associate Professor Woodcock emphasizes that even enhancements in typing speed or increases in chimpanzee populations would not bridge this gap. The mathematics of the study draws from the widely accepted heat death theory, a potential explanation for the universe's ultimate fate in which it cools and expands, leading to a slow decay of all matter.
The team's results challenge the conventional wisdom surrounding the infinite monkey theorem, placing it alongside other thought experiments that yield unrealistic results when considering the tangible limits of our universe. “This finding highlights the limitations when invoking infinite resources to solve finite problems,” Woodcock stated, reflecting on the study's implications.
