The study of systems which respond disproportionately (nonlinearly) to initial conditions or perturbing stimuli. Nonlinear systems may exhibit chaos which is classically characterized as sensitive dependence on initial conditions. Chaotic systems, while distinguished from more ordered periodic systems, are not random. When their behavior over time is appropriately displayed (in phase space), constraints are evident which are described by strange attractors. Phase space representations of chaotic systems, or strange attractors, usually reveal fractal (FRACTALS) self-similarity across time scales. Natural, including biological, systems often display nonlinear dynamics and chaos.

Annotation

a math principle applied to theoret models

DUI

D017711 MeSH Browser

CUI

M0026779

Previous indexing

Mathematics (1974-1993); Models, Biological (1970-1993)

History note

94

Public note

94