Freethought & Rationalism Archive

echidna · 05-11-2003, 05:08 PM

Well, scientifically validating the adage was probably overdue �

http://www.tiscali.co.za/news/news_c...09.610034.html

Quote:

The project by students at Plymouth University in the southwest of England was abandoned after a month, during which six Sulawesi crested macaques failed to generate one recognisable English word.

The university had received a grant equivalent to $3 200 (about R23 000) from the state-funded Arts Council and installed a computer in a zoo enclosure to test the monkeys.

By the end of the month the macaques had partially destroyed the machine, using it as a lavatory, and filling five pages of text, primarily with the letter S.

� although I gather they later became more proficient at the letters A, J, L and M. It�s a shame the researchers couldn�t wait the requisite million years.

Philosoft · 05-11-2003, 06:02 PM

Punting to Sci & Skep...

Azathoth · 05-11-2003, 07:20 PM

ThE Mnokeys lernt More ten thaT SS ssSSSSSssSSSSsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSsssssssssssssSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSsssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssssss

Walross · 05-11-2003, 08:42 PM

Quote:

ThE Mnokeys lernt More ten thaT SS ssSSSSSssSSSSsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
sssssssssssssSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
SSSSSSSSSSSSsssssssssssssSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSsssssssss
ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
sssssssssssssssssssssss

:notworthy LOL!!!!

punta · 05-12-2003, 01:29 AM

from this link

Quote:

...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,�...

I think I've encountered some of their posts. And to think I dismissed them as a troll.

echidna · 05-12-2003, 01:45 AM

I must apologise. I just noticed that Wounded King beat me to the punch over in E/C.

Dan<Devil> · 05-12-2003, 01:22 PM

Theese results seem pretty predictable... An animal will have a preferance for a certain letter, and it will hit the coresponding key until the keyboard cracks...

Tim · 05-12-2003, 04:12 PM

The best way I've seen this described was:

"Art students confuse infinity with six."

Mike Rosoft · 05-13-2003, 06:43 AM

This project looks very much like an Ig Nobel Prize candidate.

Mike Rosoft

wade-w · 05-14-2003, 03:44 AM

I�ve never liked that adage. At the very least, it propagates an incorrect understanding of probability. Simply because an event A has some probability P(A) < 1 of occurring, does not mean it will occur given enough time. This is especially true when you consider the mind bogglingly low probability of randomly generating all of Shakespeare�s works. Now, I know we all see this argument from creationists in their attempts to use probability arguments against evolution. But their mistake is in how they attempt to calculate their probability, based on some very wrong assumptions about the nature of evolution.

Let�s look at the probability of randomly typing out the complete works of Shakespeare. Let�s make a few assumptions to simplify the calculation. We�ll consider punctuation and whitespace, but ignore capitalization. Also, we�ll assume a one hundred key keyboard.

The probability of two independent events, A and B occurring together is P(A)* P(B). The probability of any particular character being selected in our problem is .01. Thus we have a total probability of .01^x, where x is the total number of characters in the complete works. I don�t know what that number is, but I�m sure it is in the millions. So even in our simplified case, the overall probability is damn near 0. So close that I�d bet anything you like against it ever happening.

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05-11-2003, 06:02 PM	#2
Philosoft Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Southeast of disorder Posts: 6,829	Punting to Sci & Skep...

05-11-2003, 07:20 PM	#3
Azathoth Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: The centre of infinity Posts: 1,181	ThE Mnokeys lernt More ten thaT SS ssSSSSSssSSSSsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSsssssssssssssSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSsssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssssss

05-12-2003, 01:45 AM	#6
echidna Veteran Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 2,832	I must apologise. I just noticed that Wounded King beat me to the punch over in E/C.

05-12-2003, 01:22 PM	#7
Dan<Devil> Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Bucharest, Romania Posts: 29	Theese results seem pretty predictable... An animal will have a preferance for a certain letter, and it will hit the coresponding key until the keyboard cracks...

05-12-2003, 04:12 PM	#8
Tim Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: UK Posts: 92	The best way I've seen this described was: "Art students confuse infinity with six."

05-13-2003, 06:43 AM	#9
Mike Rosoft Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Prague, Czech Republic Posts: 965	This project looks very much like an Ig Nobel Prize candidate. Mike Rosoft

05-14-2003, 03:44 AM	#10
wade-w Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Silver City, New Mexico Posts: 1,872	I�ve never liked that adage. At the very least, it propagates an incorrect understanding of probability. Simply because an event A has some probability P(A) < 1 of occurring, does not mean it will occur given enough time. This is especially true when you consider the mind bogglingly low probability of randomly generating all of Shakespeare�s works. Now, I know we all see this argument from creationists in their attempts to use probability arguments against evolution. But their mistake is in how they attempt to calculate their probability, based on some very wrong assumptions about the nature of evolution. Let�s look at the probability of randomly typing out the complete works of Shakespeare. Let�s make a few assumptions to simplify the calculation. We�ll consider punctuation and whitespace, but ignore capitalization. Also, we�ll assume a one hundred key keyboard. The probability of two independent events, A and B occurring together is P(A)* P(B). The probability of any particular character being selected in our problem is .01. Thus we have a total probability of .01^x, where x is the total number of characters in the complete works. I don�t know what that number is, but I�m sure it is in the millions. So even in our simplified case, the overall probability is damn near 0. So close that I�d bet anything you like against it ever happening.

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