this post was submitted on 01 Nov 2024
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Science

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[–] TheButtonJustSpins@infosec.pub 35 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Two Australian mathematicians have deemed it misleading, working out that even if all the chimpanzees in the world were given the entire lifespan of the universe, they would “almost certainly” never pen the works of the bard.

all the chimpanzees in the world

infinite monkeys

I'm glad they had fun doing some math, but this is not news, nor is the original saying misleading. With an infinite number of monkeys, a smaller-yet-still-infinite number of them would produce the works of Shakespeare. The reason this saying works is because of the concept of infinity, not some random finite number.

[–] toast@retrolemmy.com 16 points 2 weeks ago

Your argument sounds convincing, but given an infinite number of monkeys I could refute it

[–] pumpkinseedoil@mander.xyz 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

You can write down an infinite amount of numbers without ever leaving [0, 1]

[–] otp@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 weeks ago

No they couldn't. They'd die before they finished.

[–] Etterra@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

What part of "infinite" was unclear in the instructions?

[–] Ookami38@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 weeks ago

The "in" part apparently.

[–] GetOffMyLan@programming.dev 9 points 2 weeks ago

If you actually had infinite monkeys it would be the first thing a very large (infinite) amount would type.

[–] MummifiedClient5000@feddit.dk 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Kind of selfish of that monkey really.

[–] emuspawn@orbiting.observer 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Universe would die before monkey with keyboard writes Shakespeare, study finds

Maybe the monkey can be a little less of a dick, for science?!

[–] MummifiedClient5000@feddit.dk 2 points 2 weeks ago

It could make a decent blockbuster though, hear me out:

Trailervoiceguy: In a world on the brink of annihilation, one monkey holds the key to survival.

Typewriter clicketyclacks and monkey ooh-ooh-aahs

Editor (played by award-winning method actor Daniel Day-Lewis): This a garbage, monkey, we can't publish this! Earth is doomed!

*More clicketyclacks *

Trailervoiceguy: This summer, the question is.......

Trailer horns

Trailervoiceguy: To be......

Louder trailer horns

Trailervoiceguy: .... or not.....

Very loud trailer horns

Trailervoiceguy: TO MONKEY!

Silence, then slowmotion monkey noises somehow

[–] ohwhatfollyisman@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

i think that milestone has already been achieved -- at least in terms of the expected quality of the final manuscript.

have you read the da vinci code?

[–] kitnaht@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

We already had a monkey write Shakespeare. His name was William Shakespeare.

[–] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Pothetato@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

All apes are monkeys but not all monkeys are apes. Perchance.

[–] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Pothetato@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Something like that. I almost thought I got it backwards. A thread if you're interested (I don't think you're a snob for offering a correction though)

[–] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I’ve been called worse. Thanks for the link!

Edit: oh boy, lots of scientifically ruffled feathers there! I’ll make some popcorn.

[–] Taleya@aussie.zone 1 points 2 weeks ago
  • we are primates

  • one already wrote shakespeare

I call false on the findings