The Butterfly Effect is Much Worse Than We Thought

A butterfly flaps its wings in China and causes a Tornado in Texas - that’s a popular example of the “Butterfly Effect.” However, scientists now say that the Butterfly Effect might be even more dramatic than previously thought, and that molecular noise can do it. Let’s have a look.

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#science #sciencenews #physics

[Vastin]

I'm kind of unclear on why it wasn't obvious that Brownian Motion would be sufficient to trigger instability in chaotic systems. Anyone who's done any work on computer systems that exhibit cyclic behavior knows that unless you build in artificial correction, even the smallest floating point error can and will cause the system to deviate on meaningful scales within a very limited timespan. This problem was in fact the bane of many early attempts at networked gaming.
The natural world doesn't generally offer algorithms to correct floating point errors - indeed, the randomicity of quantum systems suggests that these minute deviations are very much a feature, not a bug of our reality - and should be expected to affect the behavior systems up to the scale of planets within a measurable time frame. The formation of the early universe was almost certainly similarly sensitive.

[noderunner_]

I always thought of the butterfly as simply a metaphor of a very insignificant event, because individual molecule movements are not a very relatable example.

[richardfile]

As a meteorologist I was often struck (and confused) by the thought that energy was cascading down from large systems to smaller ones and eventually to gusts of wind. But also that butterfly gusts were working their way up the space/time scale to make cumulus clouds, then to thunderstorms and mesoscale features to large depressions. Thanks Sabine for an excellent video.

[Grobanix]

A single butter and a single fly can cause major turbulence.

[Mernom]

Wasn't this already known? Even if we assume we need at least a butterfly sized disturbance, a smaller disturbance can cause the butterfly sized distyrbance in a chain of events.

[neuvocastezero]

A book I read a while back, it may have been David Lindley's "Where Does the Weirdness Go?", describes a computer program that was developed to simulate the collisions of air molecules, according the book, an.initial variant equivalent to the force of the gravity of one electron located 10 billion light years away (I know, right?) was introduced, and after around 30 simulated molecular collisions, the pattern was unrecognizable. Unfortunately, no sources were referenced.

[TacioMedeiros]

I don't know who Benedict Jacka is, but in Asimov's "the end of eternity" written in 1955, the time travelers calculate the minimal change (like moving a vase a few centimeters) necessary to make a huge needed change centuries later.

[madcow]

TLDR: chaos is chaotic.
I don't think there's anything special about molecules. I assume subatomic particles and whatnot have the same effect on chaos.

[donm]

Loved "Sound of Thunder" episode of "Ray Bradbury Theater" when a rich guy goes on a TIME SAFARI to shoot a T-REX seconds before a tree falls on it and falls off the floating walkway and upon returning finds the world is run by some kind of Nazi like regime (very German!) and the tour guide IS NOT HAPPY ! He pushes the guy down onto a bench and lifts up his boot and picks up a dead Butterfly... and .... save it to say things dont end well for the rich hunter.

[mitchjacobs]

Most important quote to remember from this fellas: "It's not just about size, it's more importantly also about energy"

[Lyra]

For the very first time watching one of Sabine's videos I can honestly say that nothing in this video came as a surprise to me. Having read James Gleick's brilliant 'Chaos: Making a New Science' at least 5 times since 1988 I had understood it to suggest that the 'Butterfly Effect' operated at all scales, including the sub-atomic scale. With the development of wave field theory it seems natural to assume that certain sub-atomic wave interactions will produce 'rogue' waves, just as ocean waves occasionally do.

[renemunkthalund]

Sabine's science communication is just top notch. Humorous and to-the-point.

[Vatharian]

I believe 747 flapping its wings would definitely influence a lot of people, journalists and engineers at first, but it has that chaos potential, yes

[yeroca]

I can see The Onion headline now: "Area Molecule Causes Super Hurricane"

[RBlnd]

I bet even the slight gravitational fluctuations caused by the energy of your actual brainwaves moving around is enough to influence turbulence. I think everything affects everything else, and given enough time, it results in everything being completely different.

[mytheory]

"seagulls crapping - I mean flapping" - your stochastic sense of humor at its best! Thanks for yet another great episode!

[gabrielsatter]

I always try to apply this to me yelling at my TV when my sports team is blowing it.

[arctic_haze]

Some people thing this is counterintuitive. But there are many working examples of small energies controlling the flow of much greater energy fluxes. A mains switch is a great example. But also a transistor. Or even the helmsman of a seagoing yacht who is able to use the strength of his muscles to direct a multi-tonne vessel in rough sea (been there, done that).

[stewartabernathy]

And each time a windmill steals a bit of energy from the

[balaclavabob]

I couldn't agree more with your opinion of never being able to produce models that take in to consideration the tiny energy inputs of molecules . Why you'd need to design a computer program that simulates the entire universe including all living beings, have it run for billions of simulated years and you'd have to make sure the life forms were totally unaware of it's existance ... oh, wait ...