The infinite monkey theorem: Why random typing won’t result in Shakespeare’s work

A buzz about the infinite monkey theorem has been popping up on social media feeds lately. This theorem suggests that if a monkey continuously keeps pressing a typewriter, it would eventually write the complete works of William Shakespeare.

Although the theorem is an imaginary scenario that helps us think about probability and randomness, two mathematicians named Stephen Woodcock and Jay Falletta from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), decided to test the theorem's actual feasibility.

Published in Franklin Open journal, the study calculates the likelihood of monkeys typing specific texts within a finite timeframe — one that fits within the lifespan of the universe.

For the study, the researchers assumed a keyboard with 30 keys comprising letters and commonly used punctuation marks. The calculation was based on a single monkey or the global population of 200,000 chimpanzees typing at a rate of one key per second until the end of the universe, about 10^100 years from now.

The results showed that a single chimpanzee has about a 5% chance of typing the word "bananas" in its lifetime. Well, what about Shakespear's complete works? Even with all chimpanzees typing, the complete works of Shakespeare are nearly impossible to complete before the universe ends.

The study concludes that, even with faster typing speeds or more monkeys, using primates for serious writing is unrealistic.