chaos theory

noun

: a branch of mathematical and physical theory that deals with the nature and consequences of chaos and chaotic systems

Examples of chaos theory in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Legendary scientist Edward Lorenz and his discussions of chaos theory signaled decades ago that there was likely an upper limit on weather predictability. Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024 What chaos theory has to teach us about human events Subscribe to Listen to this Article 00:00 14:57 Produced by ElevenLabs and NOA, News Over Audio, using AI narration. Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2024 From embodying chaos theory in the House to genuflecting before the Great God Trump in the presidential race, Republicans can’t get a handle on how to play the game of politics. Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 25 Sep. 2023 The idea of using chaos theory in cryptography was initially proposed by British physicist Robert Matthews in 1989, says Kwek Leong Chuan, a physicist at the Center for Quantum Technologies at the National University of Singapore. IEEE Spectrum, 17 Feb. 2020 In the 1960s, meteorologist and mathematician Edward Lorenz laid the foundations of chaos theory by noticing that small uncertainties in weather data could result in wildly different forecasts—like the proverbial butterfly whose wing flap causes a tornado. WIRED, 27 Sep. 2023 So, thanks to chaos theory our future is never knowable to us. Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 19 Jan. 2013 Further, the emphasis on initial conditions in chaos theory reminded me that understanding and formulating what brought the patient to our doors is vital. Sharmila B. Mehta, STAT, 30 Aug. 2023 The challenge Yanagihara sets for the reader isn’t so much to decode a puzzle as to survive a plunge into chaos theory. Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 21 Dec. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chaos theory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chaos theory was in 1938

Dictionary Entries Near chaos theory

Cite this Entry

“Chaos theory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chaos%20theory. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

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