Home > Encyclopedia of Science > Chaos Theory

• Cause-and-effect and chaos
• Origins of chaos theory
• Words to Know
• Generators and attractors
• Applications

Chaos theory is the study of complex systems that, at first glance, appear to follow no orderly laws of mathematics or science. Chaos theory is one of the most fascinating and promising developments in late-twentieth-century mathematics and science. It provides a way of making sense out of phenomena such as weather patterns that seem to be totally without organization or order.

Cause-and-effect and chaos

Scientists have traditionally had a rather strict cause-and-effect view of the natural world. English physicist Isaac Newton once said that if he could know the position and...