'Butterfly Effect': Summary and Facts

The butterfly effect is a phenomenon which has evolved from the Chaos Theory. In metaphorical language, it means that a small change can give rise to a big tidal wave. The theory suggests that a minor change in the environment can bring about a phenomenal and drastic change in the environment and the weather. Of course, this mathematical theory gave rise to what is today called the 'butterfly effect'. Its inventor, Edward Lorenz, was unaware that the term which he had coined would become such a popular term in psychology and thinking. During an experiment, Lorenz found out that climatic changes are sensitive to many conditions, and hence, it is difficult to correctly predict them. He concluded that a simple movement like that of a flapping of a wing by a butterfly gives rise to a tornado somewhere else. As bizarre as it may sound, if I say that a butterfly flapped its wing in Brazil, and a tornado took place in Chicago, that's what the theory states. Note that the butterfly in Brazil did not directly cause the tornado. A flap is simply a change in the present state, which gives rise to further events. Once that chain is complete, which the butterfly started, a tornado takes place in Chicago. In short, perturbations created by them give birth to a major happening. Of course, this is a very complex and intriguing theory, that has been met with many criticisms by scientists. First of all, it is not possible to predict which of the butterflies and at what locations have a direct relation in creating a drastic climatic change. Some disagree that something as minor as a butterfly flapping its wing can create such a huge impact, yet, there could be other perturbations that might impact the climate. In psychology, it can be defined as something that creates a bigger impact on the lives of people. Small thoughts can also lead to big changes. A single pebble thrown in the water can disrupt still water, and create chronicles of ripples. Every creature impacts each other. If a creature dies, his off-springs will not take birth, which will again impact the ecosystem. Every single action of ours and every happening in this universe has an impact on something else. This term was popularized so much, that it has been introduced in literature. Many books and movies have incorporated it.

Examples

In this book, the author explains how you and your actions have an impact on other's lives. He draws an inference from the theory proposed by Edward Lorenz in 1963 at the New York Academy of Sciences. He goes on to further state that we can change our lives by bringing out small changes in our thinking. This story is set in a futuristic world (2055). Eckels is the main protagonist of the book. In this era, time travel has been made possible, and businessmen pay adventurers to time travel and hunt for animals. However, the company takes precautions so that there is very less impact on the future due to the visit by adventurers in the past, since something as minute as the flap of a butterfly can impact the future. Eckels joins a hunting group to hunt a dinosaur under the leadership of Travis, who has already warned them to make least possible alterations and not to disrupt the environment. He tells them to stay on the path which is made of anti-gravity metal. He explains that any minuscule disruption in the environment will create its own ripples in the future. Bewildered at the sight of the T-Rex, Eckels gets too nervous to kill it, hence, Travis has to shoot at the T-Rex. Eckels, in his nervousness, moves off-track, which violates the rules that Travis had told them of. Travis is extremely mad at Eckels, and even threatens to kill him. Back in the present, Eckels discovers that there are lot of changes that have happened. The election results have changed, besides other things. Eckels discovers a crushed butterfly under his muddy shoes. He violated the rule, accidentally caused death of a butterfly, and this has resulted into a drastic change in the future. 'The Butterfly Effect' is a story of Evan Treborn, who tries to race against time to alter past events and delete the horrific events of his childhood. This movie emphasizes that a minor change in the past can erase all the horrific things that have had happened in the past. Have you seen the movie 'The Wolf of Wall Street'? It is a true account of Jordan Belfort, who managed to defraud millions of customers to his own advantage. This shows how difficult it is to interpret the stock market, since in the end it is a game of numbers, which can be influenced by numerous factors. Belfort simply used the 'pump and dump' game to inflate the prices of stocks, and later on sell them, which would then deflate their prices. Is the stock market too subject to the Chaos Theory and its butterfly effect? Perhaps, yes. Firstly, there is a lot of chaos and volatility in a stock market. The prediction of stock prices is as difficult as the prediction of weather. The investors' response to the fall and rise in prices is different, and even a slight change could have huge repercussions. The big players might create a huge impact on the stock market.