CHAOS RULES

Sarah Wild unlocks the hidden patterns that control the universe.

- 

Imagine a wave crashing on a shore. WHOOSH! It's a wild and uncontrollable force of nature. As it smashes down on the rocks, water sprays everywhere. Do you think you could predict how it is going to break? How high will the wave splash; how far will it travel; in which direction will every drop fly, and where will they all land?

Of course, this appears to be impossible. However, the way a wave breaks isn’t totally random — for example, it's not just as likely to break backwards as it is to break forwards, and although the water flies up, it will definitely come down.

There are simple rules that determine how the wave moves. The problem is that there are so many drops flying about and interacting with each other, predicting the outcome quickly becomes mind-bendingly complex. A breaking wave is an example of chaos in everyday life.

What is chaos theory?

Chaos rules the universe. While adults might use the word “chaos” to describe your bedroom (or any other big mess), it actually means something very specific to scientists. Chaos theory is a strange and beautiful branch of mathematics that reveals the patterns underlying the behaviour of complex real-world phenomena, such as ocean waves and wildfires.

It shows how simple rules can quickly create complicated outcomes and how tiny, almost imperceptible changes in the way things begin can generate huge weird effects - because of chaos, a butterfly fluttering its wings can start a storm on the other side of the planet. Chaos is totally wild, but understanding how it affects everything is helping scientists to predict the weather more accurately, understand how the brain works, figure out how gravity moves planets in distant solar systems, and keep Earth safe from asteroids.