Theory of typing monkeys tested

Many years ago, the “infinite monkey theorem” proposed that an infinite number of monkeys randomly typing on a keyboard—or one monkey with an infinite amount of time—would eventually tap out the works of William Shakespeare. It was intended as a way of thinking about randomness and chance. In a new study, mathematicians in Australia found that it won’t happen. For their calculations, the team used the current number of chimpanzees on Earth, which is about 200,000, and their average life span of 30 years. They estimated that the chimps could hit one key per second and that the universe would end in about a googol (the number 1 followed by 100 zeros) of years. The team calculated that even if every chimp typed until the universe ended, they wouldn’t type…

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The Week Junior US (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 244

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