Complexity & Chaos 173 Lorenz went on to study the effect and created a new branch of mathematics. His quote about the beat of a butterfly wing creating tornados has entered the public psyche and is central to the plot of numerous Hollywood movies. One of his functions —- known as the Lorenz Attractor — nicely illustrates the nature of chaos. A very simple equation plots the beautiful, apparently three-dimensional, non-repeating shape. Chaosville Chaos, taken to its logical conclusion could explain our Universe. Stephen Wolfram in A New Kind of Science, makes the argument that simple rules could explain the extraordinary complexity we see in our Universe. He applies rules to elements in a two-dimensional grid programmed on the computer which form ‘cellular automaton’ that function a little like simple animals, generating all manner of complex shapes and behaviors. The inspiration for this approach is almost certainly Conway’s Game of Life developed by John Conway in the 1960’s. In his computer game, animals and machines seem to appear on the screen but in truth they derive from the most simple set of rules. You can check out the website to see a live version of Conway’s Game of Life. It’s a lot of fun. Wolfram’s — wee \ '=N YA \ ML ZZ =r3 4. yy V4q "|| |) nl i ‘i WN We s | \ \ \ \\ \ \{ Re \ < Bi, é; is Mi Y y) /f \ WA Sa 77 \ \ A SS) 3 WK 4 Strange Attractor HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015863