sensitive dependence

the tendency for complex, dynamic systems to be highly sensitive to initial conditions, so that two such systems with starting points that are almost identical may become extremely divergent over time. In other words, the future states of complex systems are very dependent on small differences in their initial states. The best known example of sensitive dependence is the so-called butterfly effect. One possible explanation for this phenomenon is that measurements in chaotic systems are imprecise, so that prediction becomes extremely difficult. See chaos theory.

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Psychology term of the day

May 9th 2024

ordinate

n. the vertical coordinate in a graph or data plot; that is, the y-axis. See also abscissa.