well my brother said 1000 monkeys. so thanks guys.
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1000 monkeys at 1000 computers typing randomly for infinite time...
- Thread starter Proteinboy
- Start date
well my brother said 1000 monkeys. so thanks guys.
I'm pretty sure the answer is no.
Some have already hinted at it, but it's not a question of math. There is no such thing as "typing randomly". Not even a computer can generate truly random behavior. The monkeys' efforts would fall within a static range. As a theoretical concept, one can state that "almost surely" a reproduction of *whatever lengthy text* would occur, but only with theoretical monkeys.
It's sort of like saying if you flip a coin enough times, without any changes in the nature of reality, it'll eventually stay floating in the air without landing at all. While theoretically possible, given an infinite timeline, the fact is that that coin will fall every time, according to its nature and the conditions of its existence. Monkeys, by nature, make extremely poor random number generators. They're more likely to just hit the same keys over and over again and fling poop all over the result.
Some have already hinted at it, but it's not a question of math. There is no such thing as "typing randomly". Not even a computer can generate truly random behavior. The monkeys' efforts would fall within a static range. As a theoretical concept, one can state that "almost surely" a reproduction of *whatever lengthy text* would occur, but only with theoretical monkeys.
It's sort of like saying if you flip a coin enough times, without any changes in the nature of reality, it'll eventually stay floating in the air without landing at all. While theoretically possible, given an infinite timeline, the fact is that that coin will fall every time, according to its nature and the conditions of its existence. Monkeys, by nature, make extremely poor random number generators. They're more likely to just hit the same keys over and over again and fling poop all over the result.
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What's wrong with you people? This is ALL theoretical. Monkeys are only used in the situation because they represent something that would be otherwise perfectly random generators. Just accept it, and move on...I don't know how many times this thing was shot down as "unrealistic"...
Assuming all conditions are perfect, we can apply clear and simple mathematics to yield a result.
Anyway, yeah, with any small number that's less than several googooplex of monkeys, this probably wouldn't fly. To answer the literal question of 10000 monkeys on 10000 comps, it'd probably be a no.
Assuming all conditions are perfect, we can apply clear and simple mathematics to yield a result.
Anyway, yeah, with any small number that's less than several googooplex of monkeys, this probably wouldn't fly. To answer the literal question of 10000 monkeys on 10000 comps, it'd probably be a no.
Your presuming the monkeys would continually type different letters and alternate between the punctuation keys and the letters. As I said before its perfectly reasonable to believe the monkeys would type a certain sequence of the same keys repeatably forever. You do not type non repeating characters at random. Simple, thats the way the mind works. It takes a deliberate decision to NOT type keys in a repeating fashion while hitting them "randomly". A monkey could not make this deliberate decision to ALWAYS type different characters. And if they made this decision it would no longer be random. And if that happened they would no longer be monkeys.
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thats true silent, but IF they typed randomly, it would happen.
Doesnt any of you understand the meaning of the word "if"?
None are sying it WOULD happen in real life, but IF they typed randomly and IF they typed forever. Tell me, would it happen?
Now, try to keep in mind that the word if is there.
Doesnt any of you understand the meaning of the word "if"?
None are sying it WOULD happen in real life, but IF they typed randomly and IF they typed forever. Tell me, would it happen?
Now, try to keep in mind that the word if is there.
me and my brother were arguing this:
he said "if there were a thousand monkeys typing randomly just hitting keys at 1000 computers, for an INFINITLY long time, one of them would eventually recreate the play "Hamlet" by shakespeare(sp?) to the very period with no errors.
i refused to believe this because i dont ever think a monkey would be able to ever recreate such a dramatic, ingenious, legendary play by dumb luck. i dont care if it is infinite time. the spaces in the wo r d s wo ul d hav e t o be perfe ct and the letters would have to be perfect too. i see it as impossible
what do you guys think?
oh, and the monkeys cant die
yep they would eventually do it. smallest chance but if they lived forever and time went forever no freaking doubt they would some day do it.
Are we to presume they are stuck onto a program like MS word, on one file only that you can't open/close? Because, 'IF' that were to be the case it would never happen, as the backspace would be hit far less than any other key. Therefore, after a mistake, you would never be able to get back to the start, IF you can't close the document.
The reason I said it couldn't happen with 1000 monkeys is because the probability to type anything other than Hamlet is so great that 1000 monkeys couldn't do it. Looking at the stand point of if there were 9x10^99999999999999999999999999999999999999999 monkeys, one or two would create Hamlet. Therefore, if you only had a limited amount, say 1000, it wouldn't happen. The odds that the monkeys type something else is greater than the odds that they type Hamlet.
That's why I think it would be best to make this example UNLIMITED. Infinite monkeys for infinite time. THAT would yeild INFINITE Hamlets and INFINITE everything typable.
That's why I think it would be best to make this example UNLIMITED. Infinite monkeys for infinite time. THAT would yeild INFINITE Hamlets and INFINITE everything typable.
The reason I said it couldn't happen with 1000 monkeys is because the probability to type anything other than Hamlet is so great that 1000 monkeys couldn't do it. Looking at the stand point of if there were 9x10^99999999999999999999999999999999999999999 monkeys, one or two would create Hamlet. Therefore, if you only had a limited amount, say 1000, it wouldn't happen. The odds that the monkeys type something else is greater than the odds that they type Hamlet.
That's why I think it would be best to make this example UNLIMITED. Infinite monkeys for infinite time. THAT would yeild INFINITE Hamlets and INFINITE everything typable.
It's infinity so just 1 monkey would produce Hamlet an infinite amount of times, the number of Monkeys has no bearing on this matter.
It's infinity so just 1 monkey would produce Hamlet an infinite amount of times, the number of Monkeys has no bearing on this matter.
you didnt read the prevoius pages verifying that one particular piece doent absolutely have to occur.
proteinboy, you grown? I swear that used to say 5,7 in your sig recently.
lol yup. 1 inch man! this whole time i was here...just 1 inch! >< i hope i get another inch b4 i stop!!! im going to squat as much as i can! growth hormone ftw!
lol yup. 1 inch man! this whole time i was here...just 1 inch! >< i hope i get another inch b4 i stop!!! im going to squat as much as i can! growth hormone ftw!
Lol Squat Hard bro!
Yeah man you never know when those growth spurts will come. I thought I quit at 5'8 then in one year I grew 4 inches!
Lol Squat Hard bro!
Yeah man you never know when those growth spurts will come. I thought I quit at 5'8 then in one year I grew 4 inches!
wow. your 6'2''? your a giant compared to me
Lol Squat Hard bro!
Yeah man you never know when those growth spurts will come. I thought I quit at 5'8 then in one year I grew 4 inches!
I would kill for a 4 inch growth spurt right about now
lol i want 2 more inches. i must blieve and squat!!! i can do it!!!!
It is not impossible. Think about it. Although the monkeys would have to hit the exact keys, and avoid the backspace, they are not thinking. It is dumb luck. The odds would be something like 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000 to the power of twenty million times that number, but the fact is that it is INFINITE. That means forever and ever. Never stopping. Eventually the odds of getting it will be surpassed by the years, multi trillions of times. It never stops. Of course it's possible. Heck it would happen an infinite amount of times.
From other board.
Also, would like to add. The probability is not impossible. Therefore, no matter how small the odds it will happen.
Theoretically, it is possible, as anything is theoretically possible. There is a possibility, however remote, that I might vanish from where I am now seated and reappear in the observation lounge of Sears Tower. However, the odds are so remote that it will no occur within the likely lifespan of the universe. The same is true for the typing monkeys.
There was once a website that had an evergrowing population of simulated monkeys typing like mad. After what would take 1000 monkeys 2.738e33 years (2,738,850,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years) to do, the longest coherent string they got out of any of Shakespeare's works was 24 characters. 1e33 years is long after all planets have decayed from their orbits and all galaxies disintegrate. Therefore, it is impossible that it would occur.