# Why hasn't anyone run the monkeys-typing-Shakespeare program through a supercomputer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 10, 2005, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494 "2005-10-10T03:07:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/41 "2005-10-10T22:05:01Z")
Of course, remember in all this we a dealing with ideal monkeys, not real monkeys. An [experimental test of the idea](http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,58790,00.html) did not turn out too well: > [@](#): > > Give an infinite number of monkeys an infinite number of typewriters, the theory goes, and they will eventually produce prose the likes of Shakespeare. > > Give six monkeys one computer for a month, and they will make a mess. > > Researchers at Plymouth University in England reported this week that primates left alone with a computer attacked the machine and failed to produce a single word. > > “They pressed a lot of S’s,” researcher Mike Phillips said Friday. “Obviously, English isn’t their first language.” > > . . . > > At first, said Phillips, "the lead male got a stone and started bashing the hell out of it. > > “Another thing they were interested in was in defecating and urinating all over the keyboard,” added Phillips, who runs the university’s Institute of Digital Arts and Technologies. > > Eventually, monkeys Elmo, Gum, Heather, Holly, Mistletoe and Rowan produced five pages of text, composed primarily of the letter S. Later, the letters A, J, L and M crept in. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/42 "2005-10-10T22:36:14Z")
Given an infinite number of monkeys typing at an infinite number of keyboards, will we reproduce Shakespeare? The World Wide Web has been around since 1993 and ARPAnet predating even this. In that time we seen the advent had instant messaging, message boards, chat rooms, profiles, dating sites, and personal blogs. We’ve all read through most of these. So yeah…my vote is no. ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/43 "2005-10-11T00:43:45Z")
> [@Small Clanger](#): > > The text of Hamlet, except that Horatio is named “Elvis.” 😃 > > Randomness and infinity are very tricky concepts, and computers can’t really do either. Randomness can be accomplished by a peripheral most of us likely don’t have at home - a [hardware random number generator](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_random_number_generator). ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/44 "2005-10-11T03:20:41Z")
I would think the supercomputers of the world are busy enough trying to predict the weather, and other more useful problems. Besides, if they did prove or disprove the monkey-shakespeare conjecture, what good would it do? About all they could garner from the study is, “Hmm, that’s cool”. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Jibby\_Jabbish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Mr.Jibby\_Jabbish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Jibby_Jabbish)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/45 "2005-10-11T15:37:50Z")
I’m concerned about all of these monkeys in a corporate or academic setting. Will they be using the employee or student washrooms? ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/46 "2005-10-11T16:02:33Z")
> [@alterego](#): > > . . . hardware random number generator I was aware of these, every now and then ERNIE sends me £50 (I’ve not won any more than that, yet) National Savings (who run ERNIE) make the point that ERNIE is _not_ a computer. > [@Colibri](#): > > . . . as either time or the number of monkeys approaches infinity, the probability of Hamlet being produced approaches 1. OK. But if your resources are limited to a single Universe full of monkeys typing for the entire age of the Universe I’m guessing (I don’t know where to start on the sums) that you’ll still have a few typos in the sonnets. ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/47 "2005-10-11T16:31:04Z")
> [@Small Clanger](#): > > I was aware of these, every now and then ERNIE sends me £50 (I’ve not won any more than that, yet) National Savings (who run ERNIE) make the point that ERNIE is _not_ a computer. > > OK. But if your resources are limited to a single Universe full of monkeys typing for the entire age of the Universe I’m guessing (I don’t know where to start on the sums) that you’ll still have a few typos in the sonnets. I don’t know what ERNIE is but I said that it was a peripheral. Some of them, however, do preprocessing byte conversions - which is a computation. Aside from that, you wouldn’t call your mouse a computer, but it is part of your computer (as it is known in the common sense - not sure where your point came from). But if you demand a hardware RNG be on a cpu, then I should point out that some intel chipsents have them [onboard](http://www.intel.com/design/chipsets/manuals/298029.htm), so in your sense they can be computers. (Although they are perhaps not truly random, they could be). ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/48 "2005-10-11T16:42:29Z")
> [@alterego](#): > > I don’t know what ERNIE is but I said that it was a peripheral. It’s not a peripheral. It’s a standalone unit which generates random numbers using the thermal noise which exists in semiconductor devices. It’s not a cimputer in the sense that it’s a nondeterministic device (the outcome of its output is not decided in advance by an algorithm), and it is not capable of being programmed to do anything else. It’s as much a computer or a peripheral as a vacuum cleaner is. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/49 "2005-10-11T16:43:20Z")
**alterego** [ERNIE](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ERNIE) gets a mention in your link. It’s the device that generates the winning premium-bond numbers. I was dimly aware that some chips did (or would soon have) hardware random number generators, so maybe computers _can_ do random. They still can’t do infinity. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/50 "2005-10-11T16:48:47Z")
> [@Small Clanger](#): > > OK. But if your resources are limited to a single Universe full of monkeys typing for the entire age of the Universe I’m guessing (I don’t know where to start on the sums) that you’ll still have a few typos in the sonnets. Certainly the time available for the monkeys to type in the real Universe is not infinite, due to the build up of entropy. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/51 "2005-10-11T16:56:13Z")
Just checking in because I’ve found that textbook I referred to earlier in the thread. It talks about ‘claude shannon’ doing work on computerizing the monkeys and trying to make random output more english-like without specifically copying huge swaths of input text ‘in the late 1940s’ The name given to the problem, which was what I was really looking for, is ‘travesty’ 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/52 "2005-10-11T17:01:18Z")
> [@ccwaterback](#): > > I would think the supercomputers of the world are busy enough trying to predict the weather, and other more useful problems. > > Besides, if they did prove or disprove the monkey-shakespeare conjecture, what good would it do? About all they could garner from the study is, “Hmm, that’s cool”. But, really, isn’t that a primary motivator of science? And, just for laughs, here’s my favorite statement on the issue. From Steve Goodman: “The law of averages says anything will happen that can. But the last time the Cubs won the National League pennant Was the year we dropped the bomb on Japan.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/53 "2005-10-11T17:33:01Z")
> [@](#): > > They still can’t do infinity. Sure they can, if they’re programmed for it. Computer algebra systems like Maple will quite happily process computations involving infinity. I can take an integral from 0 to infinity, for example, or a limit as x goes to infinity, and I can even get infinity as a result of some of these calculations. Anything that humans can do according to a set of logical rules, computers can be programmed to do using those same logical rules. And humans can logically work with infinity, and so can computers. ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/54 "2005-10-11T21:43:37Z")
It’s as much of a peripheral as your keyboard, your mouse, or an external hard drive. Let’s check the common wisdom: > [@Wikipedia](#): > > A peripheral is a type of computer hardware that is added to a host computer in order to expand its abilities. Yep, that’s a fit. What about some of the definitions from a google search for [define peripheral](http://www.google.com/search?q=define%3APeripheral)? > [@](#): > > Any of the devices which connect to the CPU and exchange information under the CPU’s control. Peripherals include all of the computer’s input and output devices. Fit. > [@](#): > > Any accessory device attached to the computer[…] Fit. > [@](#): > > A peripheral (truncation of “peripheral device”) is any computer device that is not part of the essential computer (the processor, memory, and data paths) but is situated relatively close by. Fit. > [@](#): > > Any number of devices connected to a computer to provide input, output, or other functions. Fit. > [@](#): > > An electronic device that sends or receives data from a CPU. Fit. > [@](#): > > Any machinery connected to the computer[…] Fit. > [@](#): > > A device connected to a computer to provide communication (as input and output) or auxiliary functions (as additional storage) Fit. > [@](#): > > A device connected to a computer system Fit. > [@](#): > > Any device or piece of equipment that is attached to and used by a computer[…] Fit. > [@](#): > > Pertaining to an outer region Fit. > [@](#): > > Any device that connects to a computer through an input/output port. Fit. > [@](#): > > electronic equipment connected by cable to the CPU of a computer; Fit. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/55 "2005-10-11T21:51:10Z")
Yes, that’s nice. And, you’d be absulutely right if ERNIE _were_ connected to a computer. It is not. ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/56 "2005-10-11T23:49:45Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Yes, that’s nice. And, you’d be absulutely right if ERNIE _were_ connected to a computer. It is not. If ERNIE is not connected to a computer, how do you suppose they get numbers out of it. Hmm. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/57 "2005-10-12T00:04:55Z")
> [@alterego](#): > > If ERNIE is not connected to a computer, how do you suppose they get numbers out of it. Hmm. Yes, there’s absolutely no way to get data out of a device without attaching it to a computer. It’s a real pain in the ass when I want to program my VCR, since I have to lug my desktop PC and monitor over to the entertainment center. Too bad it can’t display menus and stored programs, I dunno, right on the TV screen or something. Oh, wait… ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/58 "2005-10-12T02:43:28Z")
You are putting your foot in your mouth. > [@](#): > > when I want to program my VCR Let’s see if your VCR is a computer (google define:computer) > [@](#): > > An electronic device for the storage and processing of information. Yep. > [@](#): > > a programmable machine that inputs, processes and outputs data Most definitely. > [@](#): > > an electronic device that stores, retrieves, and processes data, and can be programmed with instructions Yuppers. > [@](#): > > An “electronic device that accepts information in digital or similar form and manipulates it for a result based on a sequence of instructions.” Yop. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/59 "2005-10-12T02:44:29Z")
Now you’re just being silly. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494/60 "2005-10-12T03:32:47Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Now you’re just being silly. In that case, lets all retire to our mp3 players, and listen about what can be done with a large, but [finite number of monkeys](http://www.ampcast.com/music/22488/artist.php) (~1/2 way down). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-run-the-monkeys-typing-shakespeare-program-through-a-supercomputer/325494.md?page=4)