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Why is it that we can predict a solar eclipse centuries in advance, but we can only predict the weather about a week or two in advance? Can a small-scale movement, like the flap of a butterfly’s wing, influence large-scale systems like hurricanes? In the 1960s, an MIT meteorologist exploring these questions with the help of early digital computers made a discovery that would change the way we understand not only weather but nearly everything in our universe. His work suggested there are certain systems we may never be able to predict, not because they are too complex, but because “chaos” is built into their underlying math. Years later, this idea would enter popular culture as “the butterfly effect.”
This is the first film about Edward N. Lorenz and his role in Chaos Theory produced with the participation and of scientists who worked alongside him. With their help we take a closer look at what the “butterfly effect” actually meant in the context of Lorenz’s work, and why it should make all of us rethink our understanding of our universe.
"Brilliant video! Many congratulations on an excellent portrayal of Ed and his work." - Dr. Tim Palmer, Royal Society Research Professor in Climate Physics, Oxford University.
