Most people are not aware of the meaning of chaos because it´s mostly used colloquially. By definition, chaos is the all-embracing order in the universe which is so complex that we can´t overlook it with our means of technology. I want to explain the basic contents of chaos theory for lay people - even if it means that I challenge a scientist´s opinion by distorting some truth.
As you likely will know the universe consists of energies. Some of those manifest themselves in matter. Most of the readers will know this from school: positive charged nucleus - consisting of protons and neutrons - and negative charged hull - consisting of electrons. Apart from that there is the lesser known antimatter: negative charged nucleus and positive charged hull. Antimatter is the chemical opposite of matter.
But all particles do have something in common: they move on anticipatable trails. Their interactive reactions with their environment are anticipatable. They are like cogwheels of a vast machine. The universe ticks stable like a clockwork for millions of years.
You will probably agree that the movements of a clockwork usually are defenite and therefore predictable. Whoever knows the current place, direction and speed of every particle in the universe can predict any event in the universe. Of course, no human being will be capable of that by now. But generally, the universe is predictable.
Although the universe seems vast much of it hides in the details. It´s the small things which can cause great events.
The first simile is about: if sufficient information about the initial condition is known then the further progression is predictable. If we respect every dust particle and the exact shape of the orb and the base then we can predict the direction in which the orb will go. But this also means: once we remove any interference the orb will come to rest on exactly the point where it first hit the base.
The second simile is about: even the smallest things in the universe can result in large effects. What if the butterfly sat on the flower for two more seconds? There wouldn´t be a hurricane. But why did it fly away? Maybe it was frightened away by a passerby. But why did the passerby go there just the instant? Maybe he left his office earlier this time... This could go on forever. But it shows us: also the concatenation of events is important.
In chaos theory there is no coincidence. Is it? Every reaction is the answer to a preceding event. Since the origin of the universe there are continuous series of reactions. These are complex, of course, but theoretically they are predictable. This is the reason why our future is definite already - regardless of our wanting. But cause and effect are not always obvious. Due to the dynamics of the universal events it can take millions of years before the effect of a cause is observable. The existence of absolute coincidence can only be discussed philosophically as you will read in the last paragraph.
Chaos research is much more than just theory. Weather prediction is chaos mathematics - the weather depends on many factors. Or prognosis during an election campaign - the human mind, especially in groups, is chaotic. The results of both examples usually depend on the number of input parameters: the better the technological means the more accurate the weather forecast. The more details a public-opinion poll collects the more precise the resulting prognosis will be. And biologists know: the sensitive balance of nature is chaotic. How does a loss of population of a species effect other species? Is there a logic in the pattern of petals?
To continue at the intro: the term chaos does not relate to the disorder in universe - which actually is perfect order - but it relates to the dynamics which is not predictable with our means. There are many things that match chaos research but the things said above are not a theory-of-everything. In real life, for instance, due to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle it is impossible to determine an object´s position and momentum at the same time. After watching a particle long enough one can estimate its behaviour but this is not determination. Determination only works if the initial condition of the universe is known - one ought to have watched the universe from the very beginning. For the time being you can live safely outside bunkers. And lottery will remain a game of chance also for you.
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Latest change of the current page: Austria 2009-05-03 00:01:50 / GMT 2009-05-02 22:01:50