The butterfly effect is a metaphor for the unpredictability of complex systems. It suggests that small changes in initial conditions can lead to drastically different outcomes. Edward Lorenz, in his 1972 paper titled “Does the Flap of a Butterfly’s Wings in Brazil Set off a Tornado in Texas?” discovered this phenomenon in his weather model, where even slight variations in starting points could result in vastly different trajectories. Essentially, the butterfly effect underscores how complex systems are inherently unpredictable.
See Also: Chaos Theory , Lorenz Attractor