An Introduction to Chaos

I assume the reader has the following:

• A browser that supports MathML and SVG. (If formulae or diagrams don't display correctly, try using a recent version of Firefox.)
• Enough of a background in analysis and topology to know what a metric space is.
• A sense of humor.

Contents

1. Some Philosophy and Definitions
2. Continuous Chaotic Functions Are Sensitive
3. Okay, But What Does Any of This Have to Do with Real Life?

References

• Adams, C., & Franzosa, R. (2008). Introduction to topology: Pure and applied. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
• Banks, J., Brooks, J., Cairns, G., Davis, G., & Stacey, P. (1992). On Devaney's definition of chaos. American Mathematical Monthly, 99, 332–334.
• Devaney, R. L. (1992). A first course in chaotic dynamical systems. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
• Lorenz, E. (1997). The essence of chaos. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
• Speranza, A. (1997). The impact of chaos on meteorology. In C. Grebogi & J. A. Yorke (Eds.), The impact of chaos on science and society (pp. 232–241). Tokyo: United Nations University Press.
• Tsonis, A. A., & Elsner, J. B. (1989). Chaos, strange attractors, and weather. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 70(1), 14–23.

These pages were last modified 20 November 2010.