Search Results for: butterfly effect

Google the phrase “butterfly effect,” and you’ll learn this term describes sensitivity to initial conditions in chaotic systems. A little pointy-headed? A tiny bit abstract? Not at all. One familiar and important example: Earth’s weather. We owe the phrase and … Continue reading →

“There go my people. I must follow them, for I am their leader[1]” – Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin Populism – a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups–is in the … Continue reading →

Chaos: When the present determines the future, but the approximate present does not approximately determine the future. – Edward Lorenz The May 2013 issue of Physics Today contains an interesting article on this subject, taking us back to that time … Continue reading →

For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the message was lost. For want of a … Continue reading →

The American Meteorological Society’s 2020 Annual Meeting– our 100th– is underway. A record number of attendees – more than 5000 – are gathering in Boston for the occasion. But the Centennial itself is the tip of the iceberg. Years of planning … Continue reading →

(Exercising a smidgen of creative license) In 1961, Ed Lorenz went for a brief walk on the MIT campus while waiting for the computer to run a recalculation. He happened to spot three caterpillars making their way across the quad. … Continue reading →

Back on October 17th, the Washington Post ran an article with this sobering title: Despite rampant voter enthusiasm, the reality: many don’t plan to vote in November. Some excerpts: CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Interest in the midterm elections is at a fever … Continue reading →

What is the future of meteorology? Meteorologists know their discipline and its advance will help shape society and the future, much as Lorenz’s butterfly, going about its business, mindlessly impacts the weather and even climate downstream. But in the interim, … Continue reading →

If the world could stand a bit less in the way of scolding, per the topic of recent LOTRW posts, then it won’t do to leave a vacuum. What’s needed is a spotlight shining on the positive out there. In … Continue reading →

Last week saw two major events in the United States. The first, the historic encounter between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, was duly accompanied by pomp and by breathless, nonstop media attention. Meanwhile, under the media radar, … Continue reading →