Monkeys will never type Shakespeare, study concludes.

Monkey & Laptop

Two Australian mathematicians have challenged the classic idea that an infinite number of key presses by a monkey would eventually produce the complete works of William Shakespeare.

This notion, known as the "infinite monkey theorem," has long illustrated concepts of probability and randomness. However, a new peer-reviewed study led by Sydney-based researchers Stephen Woodcock and Jay Falletta reveals that the time required for a monkey to replicate Shakespeare’s works would far exceed the lifespan of the universe.

This means that, although the theorem is mathematically sound, it is ultimately “misleading,” the researchers argue.

The study didn’t just consider the chances with a single monkey; it also calculated scenarios involving the entire global chimpanzee population, estimated at about 200,000. Even if every chimpanzee could type one key per second from now until the end of the universe, they would still fall short of producing Shakespeare's body of work.

The probability of a single chimp typing the word "bananas" within its lifetime is about 5%. Constructing a coherent sentence, like "I chimp, therefore I am," would be even rarer—at odds of one in 10 million billion billion.

The study notes that “even with faster typing speeds or a larger chimpanzee population, monkey labor is not a feasible way to create non-trivial written content.”

These calculations rely on the widely accepted "heat death" theory, a scenario in which the universe continues to expand and cool until everything within it decays and fades away.

“This research places the theorem among other probability puzzles where assuming infinite resources produces results that don’t align with the constraints of our universe,” explained Associate Professor Woodcock in a statement.