Epistemological Implications
18. Introduction to
Chaos Theory
- Sensitive dependence on initial conditions (a small change in the initial conditions can drastically change the long-term behavior of a system).
- In a complex system, there is never the same context twice.
- That which appears to be small scale disorder is often actually large scale patterning.
- Systems that appear chaotic, but aren't, produce self-similarities, exact copies of parts of themselves, hidden deep inside their chaotic appearances.
- Chaotic systems feature moments/aspects of order that surround areas of attraction
- Small variation events
often cascade into large scale patterns of change.
- Chaotic systems often bifurcate when a variable changes.
- Scale is relative to point of view: a wider view will often show patterns which look random up close.
- Chaos, then, folds back on Oscillation/Resolution/Point of View/Information
Notes on Chaos Theory
University of Alabama Institute for Interactive Technology
