In Physics, Chaos Is Not Randomness
Chaos is complete disorder. In science it means something precise: a system that follows exact rules yet cannot be predicted.
Chaos is complete disorder and confusion. In mathematics and physics the word means something much narrower and stranger: a chaotic system is entirely deterministic — every step follows fixed rules — but so sensitive to its starting conditions that long-range prediction is impossible. Weather is the standard example, and the butterfly effect is its slogan. In Greek myth, Chaos was the formless void that existed before anything else.
- Complete disorder. *Traffic chaos.*
- A deterministic but unpredictable system. *Chaos theory.*
- The primordial void. *Chaos before creation.*
- Chaotic — disordered. *A chaotic morning.*
- Butterfly effect — sensitivity to tiny changes. *The butterfly effect.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | chaos | Utter chaos. |
| Adjective | chaotic | A chaotic scene. |
| Adverb | chaotically | Ran chaotically. |
| Compound | chaos theory | Chaos theory. |
| Greek | khaos | A void. |
- The cancellation caused chaos at the airport.Everyday.
- Chaos theory explains why forecasts fail.Science.
- In Hesiod, Chaos came first.Myth.
Chaotic is not the same as random
- Random — no rule determines the next value
- Chaotic — a rule fully determines it, but tiny differences explode
- Weather — chaotic, which is why forecasts fade after about a week
- Butterfly effect — Lorenz's image of a small cause with large effect
- Strange attractor — the shape a chaotic system traces over time
Latin *chaos*, from Greek *khaos*, a gaping void or abyss. The sense of disorder developed in the 1600s.
Is a chaotic system random?
No. It is fully determined by its rules, but so sensitive to initial conditions that prediction fails quickly.
What was Chaos in Greek myth?
The formless void that existed before the world. Hesiod names it as the first thing that came into being.