What is the butterfly effect based on?
chaos theory
The movie The Butterfly Effect (which opened in theaters nationwide on January 23) may not include any nefarious insects, but it is based in part on a concept from chaos theory that suggests that something as subtle as the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil could trigger a tornado in Texas.
What is the butterfly effect also called?
And the butterfly effect, also known as “sensitive dependence on initial conditions,” has a profound corollary: forecasting the future can be nearly impossible. Like the results of a wing’s flutter, the influence of Lorenz’s work was nearly imperceptible at first but would resonate widely.
Is the butterfly effect a philosophy?
The main philosophical effect of the butterfly effect is to remind us of this, and of the fact that under certain circumstances, a tiny change in the underlying causes can cause a ripple effect that causes dramatic changes in the result. The butterfly effect is only the most extreme example of that.
Is butterfly effect scientific?
In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state. The term is closely associated with the work of mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz.
What is the butterfly effect in science?
The “butterfly effect” concept holds that a seemingly insignificant action — such as a butterfly flapping its wings — can have a dramatic effect on a system — such as weather.
Do butterfly wings affect weather patterns?
Although the mathematical explanation that Lorenz developed might show the possible effects of a butterfly’s wings on weather patterns, there is no evidence that actually proves it. Observation has shown that the effects of a butterfly’s wings seems confined to a very small, localized area.
Is there a butterfly effect on pendulum dynamics?
Experimental demonstration of the butterfly effect with different recordings of the same double pendulum. In each recording, the pendulum starts with almost the same initial condition. Over time the differences in the dynamics grow from almost unnoticeable to drastic.
What is the significance of the butterfly in history?
History. Pierre Duhem discussed the possible general significance of this in 1908. The idea that one butterfly could eventually have a far-reaching ripple effect on subsequent historic events made its earliest known appearance in ” A Sound of Thunder “, a 1952 short story by Ray Bradbury about time travel.