Ever feel like chaos rules your life? It sure does… .and many other things in our world, as well.
This article attemps to explain the roots and underpinnings of Chaos Theory, which scientists and others have used to explain the randomness of things in our universe. This article does not delve into topics such as ergodic theory, in which chaos theory has roots, or topographical mxing, attractors, and other related subjects. We take the general approach here. Hopefully the reader will be left with basic understanding of the chaos theory and its uses.
The Chaos Theory says that systems that are sensitive to their original conditions can yield unpredictable results. As a theory, it has been applied across many disciplines, in cluding physics, mathematics, weather, economics, politics, even medicine. Although its beginnings date back more than a century, chaos theory continues to grab more and more attention due to the maturing use of computers in the scientific world and ongoing public interest in chaos-related ideas in popular culture, most notably time travel.
Evidence behind the chaos theory was discovered by meteorologist Edward Lorenz in 1961, although its true roots could be traced back to French mathematician Jacques Hadamard, who published an study on chaotic motion in 1898. Today, chaos theory owes its popularity to both the development of computers, which can be used to track and map chaotic behavior and outcomes, as well as the shortcomings of other scientific theories such as linear theory, which could not explain the observed randomness in the results of certain scientific experiments.
Lorenz, perhaps the foremost figure in the modern day understanding of chaos theory, used a simple computer to run weather simulations. He found that he could retrace a particular weather simulation from a certain point and come up with a totally different weather prediction than before. The experiment helped demonstrate a key point in chaos theory, that a small change in a system could produce large, exponential differences in the result.
This brings us to oft-cited example of the chaos theory known as the Butterfly Effect. The Butterfly Effect was the title of a 1972 scientific paper by Lorenz which explored the possibility that the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil could cause a chain reaction of sorts that produces greater and greater results, such as a tornado in Texas. It is also the name of a 2004 science fiction film starring Ashton Kutcher as a psychology major Evan Treborn who continually travels back in time to undo some horrific experience, each time creating a new future.
Systems described as chaotic appear to be random, although the results often fall under a certain range and are thus well-defined. Besides weather, chaotic behavior can be seen in the mingling of certain elements as well as ecology and, obviously, human behavior.
Movies based in some degree on chaos theory, the butterfly effect and/or time travel include:
It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) — With the help of a guardian angel, George Bailey (James Stewart) discovers how life in the fictional town of Bedford Falls would be vastly different had he never been born, adversely affecting the lives of everyone he loves.
The Butterfly Effect (2004) — Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher) is a 20-year-old college student who learns that by reading his childhood journals he can go back in time and undo some horrific experience. Each time, however, he creates an alternate and imperfect future.
The Sound of Thunder (2005) — A time machine allows travelers to visit the prehistoric age and an altercation with a dinosaur changes the course of history through a series of “time waves.” Based on a short story by famed science fiction writer Ray Bradbury.
