On Chaos V

"Clearly, however, a zero probability is not the same thing as an impossibility; […] In systems that are now called chaotic, most initial states are followed by nonperiodic behavior, and only a special few lead to periodicity. […] In limited chaos, encountering nonperiodic behavior is analogous to striking a point on the diagonal of the square; although it is possible, its probability is zero. In full chaos, the probability of encountering periodic behavior is zero." (Edward N Lorenz, "The Essence of Chaos", 1993)

"Some fractals come close to qualifying as chaos by being produced by uncomplicated rules while appearing highly intricate and not just unfamiliar in structure. There is, however, one very close liaison between fractality and chaos; strange attractors are fractals." (Edward N Lorenz, "The Essence of Chaos", 1993)

"Chaos has three fundamental characteristics. They are (a) irregular periodicity, (b) sensitivity to initial conditions, and (c) a lack of predictability. These characteristics interact within any one chaotic setting to produce highly complex nonlinear variable trajectories."(Courtney Brown, "Chaos and Catastrophe Theories", 1995)

"In its essence, chaos is an irregular oscillatory process. Because chaos is a subset of the more general classification of oscillatory dynamics, it is useful before venturing into chaos to review briefly the extent to which regular oscillatory processes influence human behavior." (Courtney Brown, "Chaos and Catastrophe Theories", 1995)

"In addition to dimensionality requirements, chaos can occur only in nonlinear situations. In multidimensional settings, this means that at least one term in one equation must be nonlinear while also involving several of the variables. With all linear models, solutions can be expressed as combinations of regular and linear periodic processes, but nonlinearities in a model allow for instabilities in such periodic solutions within certain value ranges for some of the parameters." (Courtney Brown, "Chaos and Catastrophe Theories", 1995)

"The dimensionality and nonlinearity requirements of chaos do not guarantee its appearance. At best, these conditions allow it to occur, and even then under limited conditions relating to particular parameter values. But this does not imply that chaos is rare in the real world. Indeed, discoveries are being made constantly of either the clearly identifiable or arguably persuasive appearance of chaos. Most of these discoveries are being made with regard to physical systems, but the lack of similar discoveries involving human behavior is almost certainly due to the still developing nature of nonlinear analyses in the social sciences rather than the absence of chaos in the human setting."  (Courtney Brown, "Chaos and Catastrophe Theories", 1995)

"A system at a bifurcation point, when pushed slightly, may begin to oscillate. Or the system may flutter around for a time and then revert to its normal, stable behavior. Or, alternatively it may move into chaos. Knowing a system within one range of circumstances may offer no clue as to how it will react in others. Nonlinear systems always hold surprises." (F David Peat, "From Certainty to Uncertainty", 2002)

"Chaos itself is one form of a wide range of behavior that extends from simple regular order to systems of incredible complexity. And just as a smoothly operating machine can become chaotic when pushed too hard (chaos out of order), it also turns out that chaotic systems can give birth to regular, ordered behavior (order out of chaos). […] Chaos and chance don’t mean the absence of law and order, but rather the presence of order so complex that it lies beyond our abilities to grasp and describe it." (F David Peat, "From Certainty to Uncertainty", 2002)

"[…] while chaos theory deals in regions of randomness and chance, its equations are entirely deterministic. Plug in the relevant numbers and out comes the answer. In principle at least, dealing with a chaotic system is no different from predicting the fall of an apple or sending a rocket to the moon. In each case deterministic laws govern the system. This is where the chance of chaos differs from the chance that is inherent in quantum theory." (F David Peat, "From Certainty to Uncertainty", 2002)

"No investigation of complexity would be complete without a brief summary of what is often considered to be its most extreme form. Beyond the mathematical upper border of complexity lies the deceptively camouflaged notion of chaos. This is not strictly analogous to the classical interpretations of its name involving shear calamity and confusion. Instead, in mathematical or computational terms, chaos relates to much simpler notions of pattern and organization. It may be random to our native observation, certainly, but it is also far more concisely describable than complexity when inspected using modern mathematical techniques." (Philip Tetlow, "The Web’s Awake: An Introduction to the Field of Web Science and the Concept of Web Life", 2007)