- #1
BernieM
- 281
- 6
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 could 'jump' out of the cup. However possible it may be, it is astronomically improbable. But who knows maybe someone has actually seen it happen. After all it IS possible. Of course the reason it is astronomically improbable is that all the atoms are moving chaotically at random in different directions, creating no 'net' effect of atoms moving in the same direction at the same time that would cause the coffee in the cup to jump out.
Now back to the butterfly effect problem I have:
If we look at the coffee cup full of atoms, each atom acting in a 'butterfly' fashion, causing other atoms to move in the same direction adding to the net effect intiated by the 'butterfly', it could cause the cup to empty itself. But when viewing it's effect in relation to the other atoms which are also acting in a butterfly fashion in the cup, the individual butterfly effect is fairly effectively neutralized, thereby nullifying any reasonable possibility that the coffee cup will empty itself out.
I believe that in the real world, that if there were any 'tornado' effect caused by the 'butterfly effect', that it would be very localized and minimal. In the case of the coffee cup, it could make a local group of atoms nearest to it tend to move in the same direction, and thus have a miniscule 'local tornado-like' effect, but that effect overall is lost in the overall effect of randomity in the cup.
To me it appears that the only practical place that the butterfly effect could truly cause a tornado, or make a cup empty itself out, would be in a computer simulation where all other 'counter-butterfly' effects could be eliminated, or in a astronomically huge system where the likeliehood of such an event would be certain, such as all the gaseous matter in the universe.
Anyone have any thoughts on 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 could 'jump' out of the cup. However possible it may be, it is astronomically improbable. But who knows maybe someone has actually seen it happen. After all it IS possible. Of course the reason it is astronomically improbable is that all the atoms are moving chaotically at random in different directions, creating no 'net' effect of atoms moving in the same direction at the same time that would cause the coffee in the cup to jump out.
Now back to the butterfly effect problem I have:
If we look at the coffee cup full of atoms, each atom acting in a 'butterfly' fashion, causing other atoms to move in the same direction adding to the net effect intiated by the 'butterfly', it could cause the cup to empty itself. But when viewing it's effect in relation to the other atoms which are also acting in a butterfly fashion in the cup, the individual butterfly effect is fairly effectively neutralized, thereby nullifying any reasonable possibility that the coffee cup will empty itself out.
I believe that in the real world, that if there were any 'tornado' effect caused by the 'butterfly effect', that it would be very localized and minimal. In the case of the coffee cup, it could make a local group of atoms nearest to it tend to move in the same direction, and thus have a miniscule 'local tornado-like' effect, but that effect overall is lost in the overall effect of randomity in the cup.
To me it appears that the only practical place that the butterfly effect could truly cause a tornado, or make a cup empty itself out, would be in a computer simulation where all other 'counter-butterfly' effects could be eliminated, or in a astronomically huge system where the likeliehood of such an event would be certain, such as all the gaseous matter in the universe.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?