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DictionarychaosUnpredictable system behavior
noun

chaos

Behavior governed by fixed rules in which tiny starting differences lead to vastly different outcomes.

The simulation shows chaos when tiny starting changes produce radically different paths.

Etymology
chaosGreekgaping void

The Greek word names a primordial void and later suggested disorder. Mathematics adapted the disorder sense for deterministic behavior whose sensitivity to starting conditions makes long-term prediction difficult.

More examples

  • Deterministic chaos makes long-term prediction difficult.
  • The researcher studies chaos in a driven pendulum.
  • Fixed equations can still generate chaos.

Forms

chaos

Similar words

randomness
Randomness lacks deterministic predictability in its outcomes; chaos can arise from fixed deterministic rules.