Chaos theory

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Chaos theory is used to describe some nonlinear or "chaotic" systems which might have vastly different outcomes depending on very small initial variations. Although they might appear to be random, they are in fact deterministic. The commonest expression of chaos theory is the butterfly effect wherein a butterfly flapping its wings in Amazonia (or China) can cause hurricanes in Europe (or North America).
BUTTFLY2.gif

Many chaotic systems exhibit the phenomenon of strange attractors which are almost identical states (velocity and position of a particle for example) which nonetheless never actually repeat.

Fractals (self similarity of systems at varying scales) are much used in computer graphics, where a simple formula can, by repeated iteration, produce complex forms. They are derived from application of chaos theory. The Mandelbrot curve is a fractal which most people will be aware of.

The analysis of noise is also influenced by fractals.

The fern image below is a fractal, examination will show that successively smaller parts are morphed copies of the whole.

The word "fractal" comes from the fact that such curves have dimensions which are fractions of whole numbers.

In practical daily life, the main use of chaos theory in the late 1980s and early 1990s was for people who did not understand 2+2 to use chaos theory jargon to pick up other people who did not understand 2+2, while nerdy mathematicians futilely tried to tell both they were doing it wrong.

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