As the old adage goes, a monkey left with a typewriter for an infinite amount of time would eventually write the complete works of William Shakespeare purely by chance.
The so-called Infinite Monkeys Theorem has long been used to demonstrate the principles of probability and randomness, having been widely referenced in pop culture from The Simpsons to A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and believed by some to owe its conceptual origins to Aristotle.
But a new study suggests that the thought experiment is “potentially misleading” – because our universe would have ended long before the monkey was able to type “all but the most trivial of phrases”, let alone the nearly 900,000 words comprising the works of Shakespeare.
この記事は The Independent の November 02, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は The Independent の November 02, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Tyson's another long-since faded fighter who just can't take retirement lying down
On Friday night in Texas, Mike Tyson joined a sad list of men behaving badly in a dangerous sport and he’s not bothered.
Stellar interim job may give Carsley future England shot
Eight debuts, five wins and one regret managing senior side
Late goal gifts Scotland Nations League lifeline
Andy Robertson marked his 80th cap with a sensational stoppage-time winner in Poland to keep Scotland’s hopes alive of staying in the top level of the UEFA Nations League.
Energy bills expected to rise again in the new year
Energy bills could be hiked yet again from 1 January as rising wholesale costs push up prices for households.
THAT'LL BE THE DEITY
Pop psychology superstar Jordan Peterson feels it's high time his voice was heard on the most grandiose of subjects: God. The power of Christ compels Helen Coffey to ask: why?
Queer villains are a cliche we should have moved past
Denzel Washington’s sly bisexual villain is a delight to behold in Gladiator II’, writes Louis Chilton. But when combined with two androgynous tyrants, a troubling trope emerges
The farmers' tax could be a pig in a poke for the country
With the agriculture sector warning the new tax will send us sleepwalking into a food shortage’, Zoé Beaty looks at the reality of an industry in crisis and how we may all pay a price
Trump's tariffs would lower our food standards but we may just have to stomach it
As if the dire predictions for Trump’s second term weren’t scary enough, the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) has now warned that The Donald’s 20 per cent tariff plan could reduce the UK economy by 0.9 per cent by the end of his administration.
It's not yet World War Three but 'World War Z' has begun
Time was when optimists responded to the imminence of world war with a cocky: \"It'll all be over by Christmas...\"
Australian senator says she will heckle the King again
Australian senator Lidia Thorpe tore up a copy of a motion censuring her for protesting against King Charles during his October visit when she accused him of genocide against Indigenous people.
