Lorenz Butterfly

To do and notice:
Click in the window to start a particle in motion around the two strange attractors. Click again very near to where you clicked the first time. You should see a new particle following the first very closely for a while, but as time goes on the small difference between the paths of the particles increases until they are following completely non-related paths.

The Lorenz butterfly is significant because it illustrates the concept of "sensitive dependence upon initial conditions."


Click in the window to start a Lorenz Butterfly.



Used with permission. Copyright 1996, James P. Crutchfield. All rights reserved.

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