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Aberantt β Infinite Monkey Theorem
Published: 2012-04-17 20:45:19 +0000 UTC; Views: 3334; Favourites: 44; Downloads: 203
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Description
Infinity is a concept so simple to understand and yet so hard to conceive. In our everyday lives we work with finite things, the idea of anything being infinite can be hard to wrap your mind around. That's where the monkeys come in.The infinite monkey theorem illustrates just how long infinite time can be. It states that a hypothetical monkey* randomly hitting keys on a typewriter for an infinite amount of time will almost surely eventually type out the entire works of Shakespeare. Turns out you don't need Shakespeare to write Shakespeare, it could be done randomly. And really, it wouldn't just end there; with an infinite amount of time the monkey would also eventually type out everything that has ever been written and that will be written. It would type out every possible thing that can be produced by a typewriter. All by random. Because infinity is such a long time that everything that is possible, no matter how unlikely, will eventually occur.
*The hypothetical immortal monkey may alternatively be substituted with an infinite amount of monkeys with typewriters.
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Comments: 12
I would say, that that infinite time that was proposed by the thought experiment might actually consist of 13 billion years give or take a few.Β 8.5 billion years to create the elements, stars, and galaxies.Β 0.5 billion for a terrestrial planet to form.Β 1 billion for life to emerge on that terrestrial planet.Β 2.5 billion years for life on that planet to diversify.Β 100 million years for one of those lifeforms to walk on land with an endoskeleton, a spine, and 4 legs.Β 200 million years for that life to grow large and rule the planet.Β Another 200 million years until that life is killed by a giant space rock and replaced by a group of smaller distantly related cousins that happen to be warm blooded.Β 20 million years for a monkey to develop.Β The next 45 million years for monkey kind to diversify.Β 1.99 million years for an exceptionally intelligent group of monkeys to develop.Β 4000 years for those intelligent monkeys to take advantage of a warmer planet and develop agriculture and writing.Β 5564 years for literature, mythology, governments, and languages to develop.Β 52 years for one special monkey to compose 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 narrative poems (wikipedia made that convenient).Β Then 400+ years for other monkeys to wonder how long it would take a room full of monkeys randomly beating on typewriters/keyboards before they are able to duplicate that one monkey's work.Β Of course, that's how long it took the Universe to do it.Β The monkeys did it in roughly 40-45 million years time.Β I love over thinking thought experiments.
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And I love when over thinking thought experiments spawn interesting thoughts like this.
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I've heard this theory applied to the recently popular Pokemon experiment on Twitch. However, instead of monkeys with typewriters, it monkeys with one keyboard; half of them are fighting over it while the other half is throwing shit everywhere. But, even with all the chaos, there's still progress.
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Ha yea, Anarchy mode is pretty similar to this theory applied to a video game. They'll beat it in a much shorter timeframe though since people with motivation are involved so it's not completely random and a bit ofΒ swarm theory comes into play. And since the game only uses 7 buttons and isn't as strict as language, that gives plenty of leeway, increasing the likelihood to beat. Cool experiment either way, looking forward to how it plays out.
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*Singing* Art and science.Art and science.Art and science.Art and science! I love your work, dude! Combines my two favorite things which I'm sure you'll never figureout.
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Fantastic work. This would make a great album cover.
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I love the story. However we don't have infinite time ...
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Philosophy is strikingly similar to this enterprise...
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wooooooow. Heard it before, but it's one of those things that makes you stop and think!
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