Reading+Log+1

I. Pre-reading:
 * Great job ! ! [[image:coffin_dance_candle.gif]] ****3.5pts **

a. What do you know about the chaos theory? I’ve only heard the term a few times, but I know nothing about it. b. What do you think the text will be about? I think it will be about chaos theory, the basics about it, its uses and a few examples of the connection it may have with our daily activities c. Write a list of five words (minimum) that you think you can find in the text you will read. Chaos Theory Mathematics Random Unpredictable
 * Good **
 * Good **

II. Reading:
 * Good **

1. Read the text and check if you can find any of the words you wrote in your list (the one you wrote in the pre-reading, letter c.)

I found every word I wrote, except for Mathematics… (nevertheless I found “mathematically”)

2. Underline all the definitions you find in the text. 3. In the definitions: Mark the term being defined, the general class words and the characteristics of the terms. 4. Find the descriptions if any.

Chaos Theory :  Theory describing the complex and unpredictable motion or dynamics of systems that are sensitive to their initial conditions  ** Yes **  __. Chaotic systems are mathematically deterministic—that is, they follow precise laws, but their irregular behavior can appear to be random to the casual observer. Chaotic behavior is common in systems as varied as__ __ [|electric circuits] ____, ____ [|measles] ____ outbreaks, ____ [|lasers] ____ , clashing ____ [|gears] ____ , ____ [|heart] ____ rhythms, electrical ____ [|brain] ____ activity, circadian rhythms, fluids, animal populations, and ____ [|chemical reactions] __. It is suspected that even economic systems, such as the [|stock exchange], may be chaotic. __The field of chaos is evolving rapidly from a theoretical to an applied science__. The dynamic nature of the universe has led to a great deal of scientific research dedicated to analyzing change. Until recently, it was believed that if the dynamics of a system behaved unpredictably, it was due to random external influences. Therefore, scientists concluded that if random influences could be eliminated, then the behavior of all such deterministic systems could be predicted indefinitely. It is now known that many systems can exhibit long-term unpredictability even in the absence of random influences. Such systems are called chaotic. **definition ** Even very simple systems, such as a [|pendulum], exhibit chaos. __ The unpredictability of chaotic systems arises due to their sensitivity to their initial conditions, such as their initial position and velocity __. __Two identical chaotic systems set in motion with slightly different initial conditions can quickly exhibit motions that are quite different__. French mathematician [|Henri Poincaré] concluded that he could not prove the [|solar system] to be completely predictable. He was the first to state the defining feature of what later became known as chaos: “__It may happen that small differences in the initial conditions produce very great ones in the final phenomena. A small error in the former will produce an enormous error in the latter. Prediction becomes impossible.…”__ The ramifications of Poincaré's discovery were not fully appreciated by most scientists until computers allowed them to easily model and visualize chaotic systems. Before then, however, pioneering scientists and engineers at the [|National Aeronautics and Space Administration] used Poincaré's work to send people and satellites into orbit. Edward Lorenz, an American meteorologist, discovered in the early 1960s that a simplified computer model of the weather demonstrated extreme sensitivity to the initial measured state of the weather (//see// [|Meteorology]). He demonstrated visually that __there was structure in his chaotic weather model that, when plotted in three dimensions, fell onto a butterfly-shaped [|fractal] set of points of a type now known as a strange attractor__. Lorenz rediscovered chaos and proved that long-range forecasting of the weather was impossible.

Term Characteristics General Class

__Description__

5. Find what the following referents, underlined in the sentences below, refer to in the text. Be careful some items more contain more than one referent:

a. Chaos Theory, theory describing the complex and unpredictable motion or dynamics of systems **__ that __** are sensitive to **__ their initial conditions __** b. Until recently, it was believed that if the dynamics of a system behaved unpredictably, **__ it __** was due to random external influences
 * That -> the system **
 * Their initial conditions -> the initial condition of the system **

It -> the unpredictability of the system

c. “It may happen that small differences in the initial conditions produce very great ones in the final phenomena. A small error in **__ the former __** will produce an enormous error in **__ the latter __**. Prediction becomes impossible.…”

The former -> the initial conditions of the system The latter -> the final phenomena

d. The ramifications of Poincaré's discovery were not fully appreciated by most scientists until computers allowed **__ them __** to easily model and visualize chaotic systems.

Them -> the scientists that didn’t appreciated Poincaré’s discovery

e. He demonstrated visually that there was structure in his chaotic weather model **__ that __**, **__ when plotted __** ...

That -> the structure in the model When plotted -> the structure in the model 6. What new aspects did you discover about the chaos theory? I discovered the chaos theory relates directly to system whose initial state dramatically affects their final outcome. Also I discovered that it is related to fractal geometry. Finally I heard for the fist time the names of the people related to its development. 7. Is the chaos theory related to real life aspects? Explain Deeply, there are several phenomena of daily life that can be explained thanks to chaos theory e.g.: Weather, stock market, car traffic. Even throwing dices is directly related to this theory. **Good **
 * super **
 * Great **