Explanation of the concept of the butterfly effect and examples from life.
Contents of
- What is the butterfly effect in chaos theory in simple terms in terms of physics?
- Why the butterfly effect is so called: the meaning of the term, the expression
- The butterfly effect: examples from life, description
- VIDEO: Chaos theory
Chaos theory is an area that connects mathematics and physics. The concept is based on the fact that the behavior and development of complex systems are significantly influenced by initial conditions and minor changes. Even small adjustments can significantly affect the result.
What is the butterfly effect in chaos theory in simple terms in terms of physics?
The butterfly effect is a trifle that can significantly change the course of events. Simply put, even a small swing of the butterfly's wings can displace the tornado and give it direction. Therefore, every little thing in a huge system matters.
- Many physicists, even before the emergence of the theory of chaos and explaining it, drew attention to the fact that even minor changes can lead to huge consequences. They noticed that if you do not round numbers or round off, you get numbers that are essentially different. Therefore, they can not be neglected.
- This term became popular in 2004 after a number of newspaper publications. Later, a film appeared that somewhat distorted the concepts of the butterfly effect. The film's heroes returned to the past and changed events, which led to a change in the future. In fact, even if nothing is changed, the future can not be the same because of the excessive complexity of the system.
- Another of the main properties of chaos is the exponential error accumulation. According to quantum mechanics, the initial conditions are always uncertain, and according to chaos theory - these uncertainties will quickly grow and exceed the permissible limits of predictability.
- The second conclusion of the theory of chaos is that the reliability of forecasts decreases with time. This conclusion is a significant limitation for the applicability of fundamental analysis, which, as a rule, operates on long-term categories.
Why the butterfly effect is so called: the meaning of the term, the expression
The name came up with the famous meteorologist and physicist Edward Lawrence. Although the story of writer Bradbury was originally published in 1952.It was in this story that the writer described that a crushed butterfly influenced the presidential election. And instead of a normal candidate, the voters chose the fascist. Thus, Lawrence scientifically explained this effect.
He believed that the wings of a butterfly's wings in Brazil could cause a disastrous tornado in America.
Although later the scientist himself denied his theory. If it was true, then the wings of the seagull could completely change the weather and all forecasts would be useless.
The butterfly effect: life examples, description
Life itself is chaotic, and even small changes can lead to terrible consequences. There are many examples of this. Examples of butterfly effect in life:
- The demolition of the Berlin Wall. This was due to the incorrect interpretation of the new law by the press secretary. The document stated that some East Germans can sometimes visit western Berlin. But the law did not clearly specify the subtleties. Therefore, we decided that the law applies to all Germans and at one time the mass of the people decided to cross the border. Since the border guards were discouraged, discontent among the masses grew. A huge number of people just tore down the wall to cross the border.
- World War II .The story is really revealing. In 1918, a British soldier did not kill a wounded German and about 20 years later this German became the cause of the Second World War. If the military had shot Hitler then, there could not be a war.
- The emergence of terrorism. It all started with a dead dog, which the councilman fed with a glass meal. A little boy, who was the owner of the dog, told everyone in the district about the death of the dog and the culprit. Thus, a member of the city council did not get into Congress. After this incident, the boy became interested in politics and already, being an adult, got into Congress. He became the organizer of American aid for the Afghans. Thus, the war was won by the Mujahideen, giving rise to the Taliban and Al Qaeda organizations. This became the point of departure of terrorist acts.
As you can see, a complex system can not be controlled and even minor changes can lead to harmful consequences.