Chaos theory is like baking a cake. You think you know what you're doing, but really, you're just winging it.
Lesson 3: Sensitivity to Initial Conditions. The unsung hero of chaos theory. Without it, the butterfly effect would just be a bunch of flailing bugs.
Take the example of a butterfly flapping its wings. It's not just about the flapping, it's about the initial condition of the flap. Was the wing a little more open? A little more closed? The difference is like, huge.
So, if you're trying to predict the weather, don't just look at the clouds. Look at the butterfly's wing. And then look at the squirrel's tail. And then the toaster's toast level.
Continue to Lesson 4: Chaos Sensitivity »