Chaos

“Where chaos begins, classical science stops.” Chaos is a history of science written for the general public about the theory and methods used when dealing with chaotic, or non-linear systems. It opens in the 1970’s with Edward Lorenz, his experiments with creating weather simulations, and the now-famous Butterfly Effect, and takes the reader through the ongoing development and application of chaos as it applies to meteorology, astrophysics, fluid dynamics, ecology, and chemistry, among other fields.

Although chaos theory is primarily mathematical in nature, the book is written with a fine balance between a focus on the scientists and the science. There are a few equations presented in context, but the math is at a fairly basic level and you do not need to have taken a college-level calculus course to understand and appreciate this book. There are plenty of illustrations included to help illuminate the concepts presented. In addition, there is a section of color plates halfway through the book, including several images taken from the Mandelbrot set that could qualify as art as much as science.

On the negative side, this book was written in 1987, and many theories have been further refined in the mean time. Particularly the sections on chaos and biology are dated and several of the philosophical implications of chaos theory discussed in the book have been discarded. However, its value as an introduction to the field remains undiminished.

If you have always wondered how the Great Red Spot on Jupiter could form, why the tentacles of a jellyfish resemble drops of ink settling in a glass of water, or the origins of information theory, Chaos can provide some answers.