A simple guide to chaos theory - BBC World Service

According to classical physics and the laws of Isaac Newton, it should be easy to predict the behaviour of objects throughout the universe with relative ease.

But in 1961, a meteorologist unwittingly discovered this was not the case – that there was a lot more uncertainty around us. Here's how chaos theory and its butterfly effect, has changed the way we think about our Universe.

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[learnwithberryafaithfulser]

tiny changes can have a great effect! This applies to ur habits as well.

[BabyDiariess]

People watching this like:
- in bed
- not in a full screen
- reading comments

[nasseralshagdary]

The best explanation for Chaos theory that I never see it before and in 5 min, beautifully made.

[rhondamathis]

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." ~Leo Tolstoy

[unidentified]

I think this video contains quite a few misunderstandings and confusions.
1:31 Chaos theory does NOT question the deterministic vision of classical physics. Chaos theory studies the deterministic behaviours of physics or mathematics that are very sensitive to the initial conditions. What really questioned the classical physics was quantum theory, which is completely probabilistic.
3:15 She brought up a statement that sounds like the quantum mechanical limitation of measurement but it is not the main reason why some phenomena are difficult to predict. Of course we cannot know the state of every atom at infinite accuracy, but it is mainly the mathematical structure of the equation of motion that makes some motions difficult to predict in a long term.

People with more knowledge in chaos theory might be able to point out more, so if you find anything weird in this video, please write it in the reply.

[mikemondano]

If not Einstein, it simply would have been someone else. History was ready for these new theories and many were on the cusps of the same results. The individuals didn't matter. Little would be different now, if anything. Each person's influence fades out with time like waves on a pond.
As with most of these, "simple" is another word for "incomplete" and "inaccurate".

[blehblahov]

Very nice video. A small addtion to 3:31 when you say "long-term prediction is impossible". Yes, chaotic dynamics make predicting the state of a system at a certain point in the far future close to impossible, but it is actually very possible to predict the average state of the system over a long period of time. For example the Lorenz system is chaotic and it's impossible to know excatly where the system will be after a long time, but since the trajectories follow the butterfly-shaped curves (technically called "Lorenz attractor"), we can predict the average state of the system over a long enough duration.

This subtle distinction is VERY important because it addresses one of the main "concerns" of climate change deniers who say how can we predict the rise in temperature 2 decades in the future if we cannot prdict the weather 2 weeks in advance? The answer is, as above, it is impossible to know where the system will exactly be at an exact point in time, but it is actually relatively easy to know the average of the system long into the future and over long periods of time.

[MiguelQUECAMINA]

I'm writing this random comment on the hope that the butterfly effect will bring peace to everyone!

[joslindacruz]

Truly a simple guide to Chaos Theory, best presentation ever....

[drkhan]

Imagine how knowledgeable and wise the creator must be who not only created every single particle in the universe and beyond but also knows the direction and speed of its movement, he can manage the direction of where they move, and how fast, creating newer things as per his wish.

[allengreg]

I'm genuinely grateful for the opportunity to engage in such stimulating discourse. It's a privilege not to be taken lightly.

[handyman]

Nice. Brief and simple explanation. The last statement says it all. "Our" limits of understanding. What are we and how significant are we in this universe or all the universes.

[StrategicThinkingLeaders]

This video does a great job of breaking down chaos theory! 🌪 One key takeaway is how even minor events can have far-reaching consequences, which is crucial to understand in various fields.

I think it's also important to recognize that while chaos complicates predictions, it doesn’t mean we can't identify patterns. For anyone interested in practical applications, consider how this theory can help in decision-making or risk management in business.

[SafdarAli-owij]

Day and night were born of chaos, Mother chaos had all secrets, some she has revealed us and some are still unknown to her borns.

[TobeBetter]

Indeed. There are always known or unknown reasons which something happens.

[joaopedrorodolfo]

What a brilliant explanation of this theory! Thanks for sharing it with us

[YouTuberJames]

BBC great at such documentary/educational content.

[artcurious]

the majority of weather models were predicting Hurricane Beryl to be a Cat 3 then cross the Yucatan peninsula and make landfall in Mexico. Instead it became the first ever Cat4 in late June and the earliest ever Cat5 in July. It did cross the Yucatan peninsula but then strengthened and veered further north into southern Texas. Both weather and climate modeling deteriorate rapidly over time.

[EnglishdaysshortsS]

The video is complete chaos. Even small adjustments can yield significant results! This principle extends to our habits too. 🌟

[AnlBayndr]

That is impressive to see how predictable patterns have unpredictable causes, in case even the reasons are predictable too