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chaos theory

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chaos theory

a theory, applied in various branches of science, that apparently random phenomena have underlying order
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

chaos theory

The theory of the unpredictable behavior that can arise in systems obeying deterministic scientific laws – laws that under ideal conditions completely determine the future states of a system from its preceding states. In practice, however, quantities cannot be measured with unlimited precision and the predictability suffers as a result of input errors. In a typical nonchaotic system, the errors accumulate with time but remain managable. In a chaotic system, there is a sensitivity to variations in the initial conditions. Input errors are multiplied at an escalating rate until all predictive power is lost and the system behaves in an apparently random manner.

There are many apparently simple physical systems in the Universe that obey deterministic laws but yet behave unpredictably.

Collins Dictionary of Astronomy © Market House Books Ltd, 2006
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