Butterfly effect Definition and 16 Threads

Just an effect interesting to think about:

Butterfly effect. Much ado about (almost) nothing. Not a lot has to be said to introduce the subject of course. But once before I addressed whether, in reality, a butterfly flapping its wings could actually create a tornado. My view essentially was that the degree of disturbance of the local...

I didn't know where to put this, but sci-fi seemed fitting: Just a hypothetical regarding the Butterfly Effect that's been puzzling me, if anyone has any insight... How much could you do in the past before your very presence started affecting history? For fun, let’s say you wake up 12 years...

In a discussion about lightning destroying electronics on sailboats the issue of controlling lightning came up. One member (Baluncore) proposed that lightning is completely predictable. I've been taught that lightning is somewhat random. To me, random implies non-linear equations with sensitive...

Homework Statement Given the lorentz system for ##\sigma=10, b = \frac{8}{3}, r = 28##, and ##x(t)## from the first lorentz system, show that we can solve for y(t) and z(t) for the modified lorentz system by finding ##\dot E##.[/B] Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution I have found...

I'm interested in interpretations and comments regarding this Wikipedia snippet:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect#Examples This idea is new to me. My limited understanding is that the macroscopic butterfly effect is related to non linear system effects...and slightly different...

In chaos theory the image of a butterfly starting to fly in australia could lead to a hurricane in the usa is sometimes given to illustrate the sensivity to initial conditions. However I am struck with the energy conservation, a butterfly having a tiny energy and a hurricane a huge one. So...

Everyone has heard that a butterfly flapping it's wings in one place may ultimately cause a tornado to form in another place. I really have a problem with this. It has also been said that if all the molecules in a cup of coffee were to move the same direction at the same time that the coffee...

How much influence does the Butterfly Effect have in our proximity? Even the Sun's planetary orbits, over billions of years, having experienced myriad nonlinear small interactions (here the "butterflies"), have seemingly resulted in very few chaotic catastrophic outcomes (hence "effects").

I've always been curious about the boundary between the quantum and classical regimes, and I've often wondered if the weather is not just a chaotic system, but if it had a degree of true randomness, if it is significantly influenced by quantum events. So I tried to calculate the approximate...

I am trying to understand the so called "butterfly effect". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect By wording used to describe it, audience gains an intuitive impression that a small initial action of some sort can produce very large changes in system including unleashing storms that...

There is a work in history of astronomy I've been preparing for the most of the time in living memory. I can't say is it late, or due, or long, but counting from the 3 books I've seen, the one in focus of some private interest is Michael Hoskin "Cambridge Illustrated History of Astronomy"...

The Butterfly Effect, "The butterfly effect is a phrase that encapsulates the more technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory. Small variations of the initial condition of a nonlinear dynamical system may produce large variations in the long term behavior...

http://www.doubleedgefilms.com/spin/player.html Short film. I found this while browsing around and I think it's really amusing. Sort of a philosophy students wet dream? What would you do? And do you think you might ever be able to stop?:smile: Made on a budget of $500. EDIT...

What are some of the mathematical concepts used in the idea of the butterfly effect? Is there any thought that such a system would have a limit at which point all events beyond said limit are not considered part of the system designated by the initiating event? thanks

Hi, I just saw The Butterfly Effect in theaters yesterday after much much resistance... and i thought it was a GREAT movie... i don't know if the actual movie was great but the perspective on reality is what got me the most... In this movie, whenever he reads a passage from one of his...