Comment

Comment on Typing monkey would be unable to produce 'Hamlet' within the lifetime of the universe, study finds

Ookami38@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

I think the point is less about any kind of route to Hamlet, and more about the absurdity of infinite tries in a finite space(time). There are a finite (but extremely large) number of configurations of English characters in a work the length of Hamlet. If you have truly an infinite number of attempts (monkeys, time, or both are actually infinite) and the trials are all truly random (every character is guaranteed to have the same chance as every other) then you will necessarily arrive at that configuration eventually.

As far as your process, of procedurally generating each letter one by one until you have the completed works, we actually have a monkey who more or less did that already. His name is William.

source

Sort:hotnew top

gwen@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

monkey who more or less did that already. His name is William.

???

source
- Ookami38@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Ol Bill Shakespeare. He wrote Hamlet, one correct letter at a time.
  
  source
- Klear@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Humans are apes, apes are monkeys, paraphyletic groups are bullshit.
  
  source
  - Ookami38@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    To be entirely fair, apes aren’t monkeys. I don’t think that particular distinction is really all that relevant to the discussion, but technically…
    
    source
    Klear@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    
    Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes. Thus monkeys, in that sense, constitute an incomplete paraphyletic grouping; however, in the broader sense based on cladistics, apes (Hominoidea) are also included, making the terms monkeys and simians synonyms in regard to their scope.
    
    source
    -> View More Comments
  - gwen@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    isnt that a misconception? apes just share a common ancestor with us
    
    source
- HelixDab2@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Well. technically he was an ape rather than a monkey.
  
  source
  - Ookami38@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Technically true, I think it still fits for the layman.
    
    source
lvxferre@mander.xyz ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

I think the point is less about any kind of route to Hamlet, and more about the absurdity of infinite tries in a finite space(time).

I know. It’s just that creationists misuse that metaphor so often that I couldn’t help but share my brainfart here.

source