Is the "butterfly effect" scientifically proven?

Question

Is the "butterfly effect" scientifically proven?

Answer 1

The term "butterfly effect" itself is related to the work of Edward Lorenz, based in Chaos Theory and sensitive dependence on initial conditions, first described in the literature by Jacques Hadamard in 1890[1] and popularized by Pierre Duhem's 1906 book. The idea that one butterfly could have a far-reaching ripple effect on subsequent events seems first to have appeared in a 1952 short story by Ray Bradbury about time travel (see Popular Media below), although Lorenz made popular the term. In 1961, Lorenz was using a numerical computer model to rerun a weather prediction, when, as a shortcut on a number in the sequence, he entered the decimal .506 instead of entering the full .506127 the computer would hold. The result was a completely different weather scenario.[2] Lorenz published his findings in a 1963 paper for the New York Academy of Sciences noting that "One meteorologist remarked that if the theory were correct, one flap of a seagull's wings could change the course of weather forever." Later speeches and papers by Lorenz used the more poetic butterfly. According to Lorenz, upon failing to provide a title for a talk he was to present at the 139th meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1972, Philip Merilees concocted Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas as a title.

Although a butterfly flapping its wings has remained constant in the expression of this concept, the location of the butterfly, the consequences, and the location of the consequences have varied widely.[3]

So for me it is scientifically proven.

For more information, you can go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_E...

Hope I helped. :)

Answer 2

The butterfly effect shows up in computer models of complex systems where the input variables can be modified in small steps.  This is not an effect in the physical world where the number of parameters and their values are unknown, such as in weather forecasting or economic predictions.  In the physical world, you cannot run a complicated experiment over again with only a slight change in one parameter.  For example, in weather forecasting you will never have all of the variables the same on two different days except for the energy of the beating wings of a butterfly.  Therefore, you cannot test the butterfly effect in complicated physical systems.

Answer 3

As i understand it, the whole thing stems from a weather modeling experiment, where they only input variables to 5 or so decimal points and the computer went to 7 decimal points, after running the simulation twice they found two completely different results, one being calm and one being stormy.  They found their error and surmised that the real world equivalence of those 2 decimal points would be a butterfly flapping it's wings.  And the cumulative effect of all the variables butterflies wings flapping created the storm, if you follow me.

Answer 4

To my knowledge, the so-called "butterfly effect" is an unproven theorem of Chaos Theory. There appears to be evidence that small changes in non-linear systems can produce extreme changes in the results. This can be seen in mathematical models, weather prediction scenarios and other non-linear phenomena.

My favorite example is a 'classic' story of Edward Lorenz in a 1961 attempt to construct a weather-forecasting program. It is described in the first link below.

Answer 5

No, it isn't.

Answer 6

The whole thing about a "butterfly flapping its wings in China and causing a hurricane on the other side of the globe" is a bit of a stretch, but it has been shown that in dynamic systems small changes can cause huge ripple effects.