chaos theory

plural chaos theories

1. uncountablemathematicsThe study of chaos or disorder in systems, specifically iterative non-linear systems in which arbitrarily small variations in initial conditions become magnified over time, and where within apparent randomness there are underlying patterns; (countable) one of such theories.

   Theoretical and numerical modelling research promises to bring us tantalizingly close to deterministic climate prediction in the near future, while proponents of "chaos" theories hint that prediction may be an illusive dream.

   1985 March, S. Unninayar, “Climate System Fluctuations, Monitoring”, in Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Climate Diagnostics Workshop: Held at the Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, October 22–26, 1984, [Washington, D.C.]: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, →OCLC, session IX (Data Sets), page 384

   3 more examples

   [David] Warsh gives three diverse examples spread throughout our century and indicating the broad nature of this punctuational challenge to gradualism (he might have supplied many more, including catastrophe and chaos theories in mathematics, and [Michel] Foucault's notions of social and intellectual change): […]

   1992 October, Stephen Jay Gould, “Life in a Punctuation: A Visitor to Russia Reflects on Change in Nature and the Nature of Change”, in Alan P. Ternes, editor, Natural History, volume 101, number 10, New York, N.Y.: American Museum of Natural History, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 12, column 3

   He [Robert May, Baron May of Oxford] took us on [an] interesting exploration of some of the important concepts of mathematics, from Euclidean geometry via the concept of imaginary numbers to the mathematics of fractals and chaos theory and the extraordinary power of mathematics to describe observed real-world phenomena.

   2011, “The Dirac Lecture: Friday, 29 April 2011: Beauty and Truth: Their Intersection in Mathematics and Science: Robert Lord May of Oxford ac frsn”, in Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, volume 145, part 1, numbers 443–444, Darlington, Sydney, N.S.W.: Royal Society of New South Wales, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 64, column 2

   Chaos theory, sometimes called the science of complexity, is a new mathematical understanding of physical phenomena represented by systems of nonlinear equations. […] The meteorologist Edward N[orton] Lorenz (1917–2008) introduced the term "butterfly effect" to describe his own insight that a small change in initial conditions can have a dramatic effect on later events, […] Lorenz used computer modeling to illustrate his ideas and developed a set of well-known equations used in chaos theory.

   2011, Eric G[ottfrid] Swedin, “Science and Technology [Chaos Theory]”, in Alfred J[ohn] Andrea, editor, World History Encyclopedia, volume 19 (Era 9: Promises and Paradoxes, 1945–Present), Santa Barbara, Calif.; Denver, Colo.: ABC-Clio, →ISBN, page 696