Chaos 7615 226172227 2008-07-17T03:58:19Z I need a better name 7489364 there is not, in fact, porn of it {{Mergefrom|Chaos (mythology)|date=June 2007}} {{otheruses}} [[Image:CA rule30s.png|thumb|220px|[[Cellular automaton]] here running [[Stephen Wolfram]]'s [[Rule 30|"rule 30"]], a mathematical construct displaying chaotic behavior]] '''Chaos''' (derived from the [[Ancient Greek]] {{Polytonic|Χάος}}, ''Chaos'') typically refers to [[unpredictability]], and is the antithesis of [[cosmos]]. The word {{Polytonic|χάος}} did not mean "disorder" in classical-period [[ancient Greece]]. It meant "the primal emptiness, space" (see [[Chaos (mythology)]]). ''Chaos'' is derived from the [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-Euopean]] [[root (linguistics)|root]] ''ghn'' or ''ghen'' meaning "gape, be wide open": compare "chasm" (from [[Ancient Greek]] {{Polytonic|χάσμα}}, a cleft, slit or gap), and [[Anglo-Saxon language|Anglo-Saxon]] ''gānian'' ("yawn"), ''geanian, ginian'' ("gape wide"); see also [[Old Norse]] [[Ginnungagap]]. Due to people misunderstanding early Christian uses of the word, the meaning of the word changed to "disorder". (''The Ancient Greek for "disorder" is ''{{Polytonic|ταραχή}}''.''). ==Cause and consequence== Chaos is the complexity of [[causality]] or the relationship between events. This means that any 'seemingly' insignificant event in the universe has the potential to trigger a chain reaction that will change the whole system. A well known saying in connection with this issue is ''"A butterfly flapping its wings in one part of the world can cause a hurricane on the other side of the earth."'' This is also known as the "[[butterfly effect]]".<ref>[http://scibel.gospelcom.net/article_dinosaurs_and_chaos.html Scibel - Articles (Rev Dr Ernest Lucas: Dinosaurs and Chaos)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ==Scientific and mathematical chaos== {{main|Chaos theory}} {{main|Chaos (physics)}} Mathematically, ''chaos'' means an aperiodic deterministic behavior which is very sensitive to its initial conditions, i.e., infinitesimal perturbations of initial conditions for a chaotic dynamical system lead to large variations of the orbit in the phase space. Chaotic systems are systems that look random but aren't. They are actually deterministic systems (predictable if you have enough information) governed by physical laws, that are very difficult to predict accurately (a commonly used example is weather forecasting). Furthermore, the word ''[[gas]]'' is probably an alteration of ''chaos''. Particles in gases exhibit chaotic motion, although this was unknown to [[Jan Baptist van Helmont]], the inventor of the term. He is instead believed to have been influenced by the concept of chaos in the occult theories of [[Paracelsus]]. ==References== {{reflist}} {{science-stub}} [[Category:Greek loanwords]] [[bg:Хаос]] [[da:Chaos]] [[es:Caos]] [[gl:Caos]] [[id:Chaos]] [[ka:ქაოსი]] [[la:Chaos]] [[lt:Chaosas]] [[hu:Khaosz]] [[ja:カオス]] [[ro:Haos]] [[ru:Хаос]] [[sv:Chaos]] [[uk:Хаос]] [[zh:混沌]] [[he:כאוס]]