i Chaos ( vir is the twin of complexity. It burst into the public psyche in 1987 with the publication of James Gleick’s book Chaos. It’s not a difficult concept to grasp. Complex systems can be formed using simple rules, and very small changes in starting conditions can profoundly affect future events. I experience this if I miss my train to work in the morning: 30 seconds either way will change the whole pattern of my day, the people I meet and the level of stress I experience. I’m sure you can think of similar experiences. Henri Poincaré, a French mathematician, first studied the —— effect back in 1880. Poincaré was i uy trying to solve an old mathematical rot wx problem called the Three Body Problem originally set by Isaac « ae o Newton. Take the Earth, Mars and ° : the Sun. These three bodies orbit “| ‘ each other, or strictly speaking a ' point in space somewhere between 4 them. Is there an equation that f* will tell you where the bodies will U be in, say, 100 years’ time? - The answer is surprising, y a no. The three bodies will orbit in ' a non-repeating way. There is no - analytical short cut, no equation that will predict where they will be Poincaré HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015861