REALLY!! What Is A Butterfly Effect? - Myth, Math or Magic...
The Butterfly Effect started as a scientific term but has since been applied to all fields of life. The first and most important step to controlling your future is to believe that it's possible and to use the right tools and techniques to bring it about.
In this article:
What is a Butterfly Effect - A Simple Explanation
Why is it called the butterfly effect?
What Is the Butterfly Effect and How Do We Misunderstand It?
Theory and mathematical definition
The Butterfly Effect in Everyday Life - What does The Butterfly Effect mean for you?
Movies About Butterfly Effect
What is a Butterfly Effect - A Simple Explanation
By now you might be wondering, what does the butterfly effect mean? Exactly, what is a butterfly effect? And, how am I affected by the butterfly effect in everyday life? Well, there are many movies about butterfly effect and other chaos theories in popular culture, but simply put the butterfly effect is a theory that a small change in the initial conditions in complex systems can have a big indirect effects elsewhere. It's a great way to show that a small action in a different time and place can have a huge impact in your life. It's important to make sure your actions are smart and calculated.
Why is it called the butterfly effect? We expand on that next, but briefly the butterfly effect is named after the idea that the indirect effects of something small can cause a big change. The butterfly effect is a theory that says that a tiny change within the initial conditions of big system can have compounding effects. It's like a butterfly flapping its wings in Tokyo and then, through a process called butterfly connected chaos, there's a tornado in Kansas. It's really important to make smart choices in life because a small decision you make in the past can affect a big decision in the future.
Why is it called the butterfly effect?
The Butterfly Effect is a term that comes from chaos theory, a process also known as Butterfly Connected Chaos. The premise is that small causes can have large effects. Small causes that influence large outcomes are called "sensitive dependence on initial conditions." The observant among us will notice the butterfly effect in everyday life. It's basically the same thing as saying that it's hard to predict what will happen in the future because small changes in the initial conditions, right now, can change everything about the future. The term was coined by a scientist in a paper he published in 1975. The term became hot in popular culture in a 2002 movie by the same name which references the concept.
What Is the Butterfly Effect and How Do We Misunderstand It?
Let's set things straight, the butterfly effect is not a literal idea that a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a hurricane. So exactly, what does the butterfly effect mean? Movies about butterfly effect and other chaos theories in popular culture can often omit information that could actually help the viewer understand the concept.
The butterfly effect can be described as a complex scientific phenomena where one tiny change to the initial conditions of a dynamic system can cause another change and cause a series of events that could lead to a completely different outcome. To understand the butterfly effect you must first understand that our world is a complex and dynamic system and we live in a system that is chaotic and unpredictable, also known as a chaotic system.
By asking questions such as what does the butterfly effect mean, and by understanding the butterfly effect you can see how it's crucial for us as humans to seek out knowledge and use it to our advantage to influence as much as we can to help benefit as many as we can.
Theory and mathematical definition
In order to understand the universe around us, it is important to know the definitions of common terms as used by cosmologists. The universe as a whole is defined as the mass and energy associated with space and time. In the universe, there are three basic properties: space, time, and mass-energy. Space is the three dimensional topology determined by the shape of the universe, but it can also mean a region of space. Time is a dimension that measures events and the interval between them, but it can also mean a duration of time. Mass-energy is a quantity that models the ability of an object to cause events. In summary, if you want to understand the universe, you must know the definitions of these terms.
In physical systems
Systems that work with chemical and physical properties can be complex and can be used to model and predict how things will behave. By giving your system the right set of inputs and letting it run, you can see how things will play out. The more complex the system, the more difficult it will be to do this. The value of studying these systems is to get a better understanding of the world around you and the way things work. If you're working on a project and you'd like to predict how something will behave, then you should look into systems that work in this way!
In quantum mechanics & weather
The butterfly effect is a science term that describes a situation where a small action leads to a big indirect effects, but why is it called the butterfly effect? In a scientific example, a butterfly flapping its wings, through a process called butterfly connected chaos, can lead to a hurricane a few weeks later. This is because the weather, an ideal and real representation of what complex systems look like, has a number of variables that effect each other. In a normal scenario, a person may have an idea to change something small about their life. This idea leads them to a tiny change in their diet, cutting their hair, or starting a new job. These actions can have a domino effect where they lead to more positive outcomes.
With quantum mechanics, the Butterfly Effect is an important concept to keep in mind. Essentially, it means that very little changes can cause huge differences at a later point. For example, the flapping of the wings of a butterfly in Africa may, through a process known as butterfly connected chaos, cause a hurricane in Italy. The effect is based upon chaos theory, which states that there are patterns within chaos that can be predicted, but it is impossible to predict which paths will be taken to reach the outcome. The amount of variables in the equation becomes so great that it is impossible to say how it can be precisely predicted. This is what makes the effect sometimes so hard to predict.
The Butterfly Effect in Everyday Life - What does The Butterfly Effect mean for you?
Good movies about butterfly effect and other chaos theories will take the viewer into how a tiny change in the initial conditions of a complex system can cause a noticeable difference in a later state of the system. Although the butterfly effect is a term mainly used in physics and meteorology, it can be applied to more than just nature. Down to a personal level, you can notice the butterfly effect in everyday life! For example, if you make an effort to improve your writing skills, your work will be better and even more efficient. If you're more efficient, you'll be able to get more work done. If you're more productive, you can work on bigger and more important things!
Movies About Butterfly Effect and Other Chaos Theories
Being that the butterfly effect is a phenomenon that is said to be the result of small events having large consequences, this is makes movies about butterfly effect and other chaos theories so powerful and fascinating in popular culture, it has no set start point, no set end point, but instead its effects are felt over time.
This often finds its way into films, the best of which are ones that explore time travel or paranormal phenomena. Some films use this concept as a plot device while others use it as a vehicle for social commentary on how one moment at the outset in the initial conditions of a situation can change the entire course of another person's life.
Some movies that explore this very idea are:
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Ashton Kutcher plays a time traveller who changes a small moment in time for a girl he likes. He has a theory that a butterfly flapping it's wings in one part of the world, via indirect effects, namely a process known as butterfly connected chaos, can cause a hurricane in another. I think this movie shows the importance of every decision we make, even the ones we don't see as important.
Project Almanac (2015)
Project Almanac is a science-fiction film that has elements of a time-travel project. The protagonist of the film, David, goes on a journey to try and change the past of his brother's death. The butterfly effect, involving time travel, is common in movies. In essence, it is a mess-up of historical events that creates a kafkaesque-like effect in the future.
Predestination (2014)
What if I told you that everything that has happened to you, and everything that you will ever do, has already been decided? When professor Young first came up with the idea of the butterfly effect, he didn't know that it would lead to a deterministic understanding of the universe. But, as he soon found out, there were some unexpected side effects! The movie, "Predestination" is an adaptation of the short story "All You Zombies" by Robert A. Heinlein. It's a time travel movie about an agent who chases a terrorist trying to prevent a bomb from going off. With the ability to jump through time, the agent tries to save the city from destruction. If you're a fan of time travel movies and psychological thrillers, then you'll like this movie!
Looper (2012)
Looper is a cult-classic science-fiction film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Looper is an entirely original film that had some great impact on the butterfly effect genre of time travel movies. The film had some great action scenes, but the scene that stood out to me was when Gordon-Levitt blew up the pipe. It was a unique scene in the movie because it was an action scene about something more important than the typical preventing-the-bad-guy-from-doing-something. It was about destruction. It was about the eradication of the past. It was about change, and it left a big impact on me.
Source Code (2011)
Without going into a rant about how many movies have been made about time travel, let's just say that the butterfly effect is a unique concept. It requires a lot of effort to figure out how a tiny change in one event would affect the future. So, without spoiling the movie for you, I can safely say that the butterfly effect is a great example of how a skilled writer can take a unique idea and turn it into a well written movie. The concept is cool and the dialogue is clever, which is a killer combination for a film. It's definitely better than the Ashton Kutcher version from a few years back.
The Primer (2004)
The Primer (2004) is a cult classic and a must-watch for anyone who is interested in the genre of time travel and the Butterfly Effect and The Primer is the prototypical specimen of this genre. It is an experimental science fiction film that is told through a unique and fun to watch time travel plot. While it has a cast of unknown actors and a low budget, the Primer (2004) is well-made, so if you're interested in science fiction, Primer is an absolute must-watch. The film is extremely dialogue heavy, but it is quite entertaining, albeit confusing. If you're interested in seeing Primer , check out the link below.
Deja Vu (2006)
At first, this movie comes across as a sci-fi thriller with action and special effects, but it's actually a drama that uses time travel to reveal how past experiences affect our present ones. By the end, the film takes on a whole new meaning, revealing that the butterfly effect is actually the mechanism by which the universe sends us all the pieces to our life puzzles.
This movie is great for anyone who likes time travel, because it uses this concept in a way that nobody else has. It's also great for anyone who likes dramas, because it offers much more than just action. I would definitely recommend checking it out!
If you're looking for a mind-tripping, reality-twisting movie, the one with Ashton Kutcher is probably not for you. However, if you're looking for that one movie that can make you ponder the possibilities of time travel, Deja Vu is the movie for you.
