Imagine the big number though! the combinations of letters, punctuation and spaces in order to shuffle into even one work of Shakespear. To get all combinations you have to complete the work bar one letter by the number of letters/spaces etc which in itself is insane, and is the point of the theory. Then of course repeat for 2 numbers, 3 etc and then combinations and combinations of combinations blah blah. We all know this.
So while, yes, the time is infinite and it’s an idea that the amount of combinations is always less than infinite so in theory it will always happen once in there somewhere. It’s hard to imagine it actually happening though. I personally think the amount of combinations is irrelevant, it’s more likely that you’d get infinite copies of garbled text which you might find many words and sentences and things hidden by luck.
Unless the Monkeys had breaks to learn other stuff on the side like humans did then the evolution of a monkey learning what all these characters mean then they are not typing them in the perfect combination, ever.
I could be wrong, some monkey could get lucky.
It’s not about lucky monkeys it’s a thought experiment based on probability and the concept of infinity. The probability of a monkey randomly typing the entire works of Shakespeare when you give it a typewriter is greater than zero. Multiply any number greater than zero by infinity and it exceeds one.
In fact, thinking about it again, it just keeps going up…so the monkeys would create the complete works of Shakespeare over and over and over…
Exactly, the monkeys and the the works of shakespear are irrelevant, as a number experiment it’s easier to get your head around, every number combination will happen and over and over with infinite repeats. Simple.
When you add the unlikely scenario the idea becomes less likely in your mind. That particular scenario adds in outside ideas that the monkeys need to understand or learn in order to achieve something so specific, it’s no longer numbers in random orders. Of course in reality it’s the same thing but in my head the scenario is impossible because it makes you think more about other details.
Also factor in the amount of monkeys who wouldn’t type anything, just dump on the typewriter, nah, its never happening
To go back to Schrödinger’s cat, that’s just like saying a cat wouldn’t stay in a box so it’s not going to work. I think this is where the concept of infinite just doesn’t compute with a lot of people. There are an infinite amount of monkeys so it doesn’t matter if some just dump on the typewriter. Though in the thought experiment they are doing the task at hand.
Infinity is hard.
Yes but maybe the thought experiment is pointless if it doesn’t describe actual infinity rather than theoretical infinity
I don’t think infinity changes in either scenario?
“Would take longer than the lifespan of our universe” so that counts as never
Infinite has no lifespan it’s infinite. You keep trying to put these rules on it that don’t exist. If you were in a glass house and the roof was infinitely high and walls infinitely wide, would you ever know you’re in a glass house without being told? Even though you are?
Just quoting their counter argument
Well they do, sorry.
Maybe the concept of infinity is wrong, outside of maths theory. In practical terms maybe everything is finite?
Maybe?
Think of the biggest number you can think of.
I can add one to it.
We can go on like that forever.
Yes I get it, I’m fully on board with the theory of infinity.
But them monkeys are never writing Shakespeare, because the universe would end first.
Look i really don’t care i just find that particular thought experiment annoying
I think most people would agree that in reality it would be impossible to organise an infinite number of monkeys to write the works of Shakespeare using typewriters 
This is really where you are fundamentally going wrong (and I suspect the reporting of the actual paper is very bad rather the paper being bad).
It’s the infinite monkey theorem. They have ran the numbers on the finite monkey theorem. 
The infinite monkey theorem doesn’t say it could be done before the heat death of a billion trillion quadrillion universes…it’s given an infinite time. Endless. Without ever ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever ending. They would do it an infinite amount of times too.
So I’ve got enough time to nip out before they are done?
