I have so many favorite theorems that it is too hard for me to pick just one, but I think I can suffice. I believe my favorite is the infinite monkey theorem, also known as Michael's favorite theorem. The idea is that if you have a monkey bang on a typewriter for an infinite amount of time, the monkey will eventually produce every form of literature known to man.

An alternate to this example is that it is ILLEGAL to take the infinite decimal of pi and convert it into binary code. Eventually down the line, the binary code can be converted into documents showing that you are planning to kill every president in history with your signature, every mp3 ever made, the meaning of life, and virtually everything else you can think of. These thought experiments are made to show the vastness of infinity, and this is why it is my favorite theorem.

Alumni Liaison

Prof. Math. Ohio State and Associate Dean
Outstanding Alumnus Purdue Math 2008

Jeff McNeal