1:40 The butterfly effect is a general concept for attributing drastic scale differences from originally minor scale effects... regardless of any insect, animal etc. it simply means: "Larger scales are affected my smaller scales." Any small element with accumulation and change will change things on a much more dramatic scale later on... in the 4th dimension (the progression of time).
That "Butterfly in Venesuela activating a tornado in Texas" bit was admittedly a joke by the very man that quote is from. He admits that that example is incredibly simplified and preposterous.
It's epistemology! There are three classical answers to the question "what is truth?" The mathematician adheres to the "correspondence theory" or "realist theory" of truth, while Reg maintains the "pragmatist theory". The latter comes from the American school of Pragmatism, with Pierce and Dewey. The former is ancient, but in modern philosophy common with the British school of Analytical philosophy with Russell. The third is the coherence/holistic/idealist theory of Hegel.
@yuna238 I was speaking very hypothetically. Obviously no one has all the fact required to predict what happens in far future. It's probably impossible to aquire needed detail due to uncertainty principle, but I still think it isn't random. Random sounds like the future is completely unpredictable. The more information you have the more predictable things become.
It's a shame they never mentioned determinism. Every time it cut to Andy about to ask another question I was expecting him to bring it up. Kirsty flirts with the idea when she talks with him about birds but it never gets a proper mention so we didn't get to see Reginald inevitably freak out about the idea of of the possibility of him not having free will.
thanks for that, mate! ed burns' 'what's so funny' also covers radio shows; britain seems to have phenomenal radio (always has done) and gems like the one you mentioned are hard to discover on one's own. regards.
@mallardvasey Thanks for that response, I didn't know that. I don't really know much about chaos theory or chaotic systems, but completely theoretically couldn't you have a model with not even an infinitely small error for these chaotic systems. Then it would be theoretically predictable. Maybe I'm just misunderstandig the definition of chaotic system.
There is a big question about chaos theory. It is built on 2 principles. 1- Buterfly effect and, 2- self organising principle. But this two are contradicting each other. Could somebody help me please?
Reg's final point, "it's predictable so long as we understand all there is to understand about it--which we don't," is also a bang-on description of what chaos theory is all about. Nonlinear systems are deterministic, but no matter how many figures you carry out your measurements of initial conditions to, errors propagate exponentially so they are in principle not predictable. Also, you need to understand Reg's act. He's sending up African American stereotypes as an ex-pat.
Sorry for responding to a 6 y/o comment, but IS that what Reg is doing? Sending up Afro-American stereotypes, I mean? I mean, maybe a little. I can see why you would think that. Just curious as to what your reasoning is. Because if his whole act is "lol I talk funny compared to you, please laugh" then that kind of ruins it...
its not that we just dont know all the values of the initial conditions of a system. its thats we can never know all the values to a infinitely high precision. and that slight inaccuracy will always lead to seemingly chaotic behaviour.
is the reason why the "chaos demonstration" is so funny that humor/comedy is when something unexpected happens in a fairly familiar situation, and as this is chaos, it is much harder to predict and therefor funny?
I'd have liked someone to point out that the scientific definition of chaos provided by the professor amounts to a 'no true scotsman' argument. "Chaos is the appearance of randomness emerging from simple, non-random scientific laws." Therefore, there is nothing random about chaos because chaos is defined as being non-random. Exciting show, though! Also, I'm not disputing the theory, just the argument.
There's a radio show, a bit like a tv series but on the radio, called old harry's game with andy hamilton as satan, check it out (you totally did not expect a reply after 9 years)
Chaos Theory on "It's Only a Theory" with Andy Hamilton and Reginald D. Hunter 20.9.22 1849pm i liked his stuff. still do... not the nine o'clock news etc...
Chaos Theory is easily explained, the only problem with it is the vast scale of it; we cant see or study all of the smallest events that actually cause and propel those events that we say are random. In the end, every small event that has ever happened has made this very moment the way it is right now. So the real question is, why is it called a theory at all?
Once again thank you BBC, although here I do not believe that Chaos was disproved, I am of course a firm believe in the theory. The next step for the right wing would be to say that there are NO laws other than the will of God to explain the universe. But I have to believe what the Chaotic theory is based upon, much like Black Swans (Nassim Taleb) pop up just when everything has been placed in a certain string, or order and disprove everything we previously believed in.
I disagree with Reg about if something is so hard to calculate that it approaches impossible, is random. It is infinitely impossible to calculate what happens 1000..... years from now but as long as it's explainable by rules of physics it is THEORETICALLY possiblle. Not random. IMO
Chaos is becoming extremely controversial. Just look at how scientists are trying to fight off quantum chaos, which threatens to unhinge quantum mechanics entirely.
What IS this program? Why have I never seen it before?! It sounds to me like the X-Factor for people with an IQ that's not embarassingly low. Awesome o.o
its just a different way of demonstrating those ideas to the general public...through comedy and showmanship. we do the same thing in the states, except we prefer amazing computer generated visuals to the british's bland humor. takes all types :)
He uses the dog analogy twice; so much i get the impression he can't actually explain it without analogy. Ie it's a weak theory. And stop talking about a dog when that is a life form rather than an object. It would chaotic for a dog to idk what does he expect walk in an absolute uniform line - that is chaos because it's so illogical. There wasn't that much randomness in the thingy either. 1 pattern it always went from left to right like a pendulum and most of the time repeated once the same movement on each side. But still it is chaotic... but if we had computers to measure it it would hardly be chaotic. Secondly i think you can predict it... taking the appartus example, it's surely determine by whatever arrangement he drops it from that can eb angle of the middle bit and then angle of the last limb when dropped ie a combination of 2 angles. The idea of chaotic is normative... that thing would be twice as chaotic if it moved asymetrical. So wait is 'there's nothing random about chaos' ... but he also said 'we can't predict how it will be'. Is this just a stupid theory that is only famous because of it's name and so then it was in a film too.. Side note; this guy's so subsconsiously sinister 'it might hit us and you can't predict' 'and we'd blow up in a horrible mess' so unneccessary; just say it would fly into the sun..'i'm a scary mathematician' 'what you learnt in school *you dumb fucks*'
Not that I care that much about this BUT how many stereotypes are going on in this video? I love chaos theory, science, the universe etc but we have the smart scientist (middle age white guy, glasses, nerdy), we have the the other middle age white guy watching and really understanding the theory, we have a woman who has heard the theory and says 'I like the idea of birds knowing what they're doing hehehe', and finally we have the black guy, 'I don't like or get it but I can use it on women..'.
@POLILOPIYAH What if the FUCKING difference? See, that a form of emphasis, which means you are putting to much emphasis on all your text which make it really hard to read and, 2, give the sensation that YOU ARE talking really REALLY strong. Do NOT abuse CAPital leTTERs.
This "mathematician" didn't give the proper butterfly story. Lorenz was using a math model and scoffed at the butterfly wings flapping to a hurricane bit. BS. Don't watch.
The reason that one asshole butterfly doesn't produce hurricanes all over the place constantly is because all the other butterflies are working hard on stopping him. They're the true heroes of this world.
that professor explains things so clearly- totally love this show!
That pendulum is amazing
Chris is my lecturer at the moment! Great guy.
1:40 The butterfly effect is a general concept for attributing drastic scale differences from originally minor scale effects... regardless of any insect, animal etc. it simply means: "Larger scales are affected my smaller scales." Any small element with accumulation and change will change things on a much more dramatic scale later on... in the 4th dimension (the progression of time).
That "Butterfly in Venesuela activating a tornado in Texas" bit was admittedly a joke by the very man that quote is from. He admits that that example is incredibly simplified and preposterous.
This man is very interesting. I heard him on the radio in Ireland. He is so interested in what he does that he inspires your interest.
Where has this show been all my life!
It's epistemology! There are three classical answers to the question "what is truth?" The mathematician adheres to the "correspondence theory" or "realist theory" of truth, while Reg maintains the "pragmatist theory". The latter comes from the American school of Pragmatism, with Pierce and Dewey. The former is ancient, but in modern philosophy common with the British school of Analytical philosophy with Russell. The third is the coherence/holistic/idealist theory of Hegel.
Fantastic video/chaotic pendulum. Congratulations!
@yuna238
I was speaking very hypothetically. Obviously no one has all the fact required to predict what happens in far future. It's probably impossible to aquire needed detail due to uncertainty principle, but I still think it isn't random. Random sounds like the future is completely unpredictable.
The more information you have the more predictable things become.
It's a shame they never mentioned determinism. Every time it cut to Andy about to ask another question I was expecting him to bring it up. Kirsty flirts with the idea when she talks with him about birds but it never gets a proper mention so we didn't get to see Reginald inevitably freak out about the idea of of the possibility of him not having free will.
thanks for that, mate! ed burns' 'what's so funny' also covers radio shows;
britain seems to have phenomenal radio (always has done)
and gems like the one you mentioned are hard to discover on one's own. regards.
Someone in britain should do the right thing and upload the entire series!
@mallardvasey Thanks for that response, I didn't know that. I don't really know much about chaos theory or chaotic systems, but completely theoretically couldn't you have a model with not even an infinitely small error for these chaotic systems. Then it would be theoretically predictable. Maybe I'm just misunderstandig the definition of chaotic system.
There is a big question about chaos theory. It is built on 2 principles.
1- Buterfly effect and, 2- self organising principle.
But this two are contradicting each other. Could somebody help me please?
@frickinradical Thanks for the suggestion, but sadly I cannot play BBC iplayer here in Taiwan.. Thanks for trying to help.
it does seem to buffer very, very slowly...
Reg's final point, "it's predictable so long as we understand all there is to understand about it--which we don't," is also a bang-on description of what chaos theory is all about. Nonlinear systems are deterministic, but no matter how many figures you carry out your measurements of initial conditions to, errors propagate exponentially so they are in principle not predictable.
Also, you need to understand Reg's act. He's sending up African American stereotypes as an ex-pat.
Sorry for responding to a 6 y/o comment, but IS that what Reg is doing? Sending up Afro-American stereotypes, I mean? I mean, maybe a little. I can see why you would think that. Just curious as to what your reasoning is. Because if his whole act is "lol I talk funny compared to you, please laugh" then that kind of ruins it...
Haha, he was my lecturer at Uni for two years
Where's Ian Malcom?
its not that we just dont know all the values of the initial conditions of a system. its thats we can never know all the values to a infinitely high precision. and that slight inaccuracy will always lead to seemingly chaotic behaviour.
is the reason why the "chaos demonstration" is so funny that humor/comedy is when something unexpected happens in a fairly familiar situation, and as this is chaos, it is much harder to predict and therefor funny?
Double pendulums should be available as office toys. Imagine watching that while you're being made redundant, the sting would be much less.
I'd have liked someone to point out that the scientific definition of chaos provided by the professor amounts to a 'no true scotsman' argument. "Chaos is the appearance of randomness emerging from simple, non-random scientific laws."
Therefore, there is nothing random about chaos because chaos is defined as being non-random.
Exciting show, though! Also, I'm not disputing the theory, just the argument.
That's more like begging the question than a no true scotsman fallacy, surely.
these hosts are so condescendong to this guy!!!
Andy Hamiltons so funny i want to see more of his work
There's a radio show, a bit like a tv series but on the radio, called old harry's game with andy hamilton as satan, check it out (you totally did not expect a reply after 9 years)
Chaos Theory on "It's Only a Theory" with Andy Hamilton and Reginald D. Hunter 20.9.22 1849pm i liked his stuff. still do... not the nine o'clock news etc...
Video runs fine now. Probably just youtube hiccups.
Why did he smile after saying a comet might hit us... WTF? Yeah that is something to smile about. Ha.
Chaos Theory is easily explained, the only problem with it is the vast scale of it; we cant see or study all of the smallest events that actually cause and propel those events that we say are random. In the end, every small event that has ever happened has made this very moment the way it is right now. So the real question is, why is it called a theory at all?
Did he not prove Chaos?
That machine of his is kinda like nunchucks strapped to an epileptic in middle of a seizure.
The Brits get this, we Americans get truckers
Once again thank you BBC, although here I do not believe that Chaos was disproved, I am of course a firm believe in the theory. The next step for the right wing would be to say that there are NO laws other than the will of God to explain the universe. But I have to believe what the Chaotic theory is based upon, much like Black Swans (Nassim Taleb) pop up just when everything has been placed in a certain string, or order and disprove everything we previously believed in.
I disagree with Reg about if something is so hard to calculate that it approaches impossible, is random. It is infinitely impossible to calculate what happens 1000..... years from now but as long as it's explainable by rules of physics it is THEORETICALLY possiblle. Not random. IMO
Everything affects something else.
@FSMGauss I love Old Harry's Game. I haven't seen any of the It's Only a Theory before. UA-cam to the rescue again.
what's so scary about mathematian?
theyre obsessed with their X
British comedy AND talk shows are so much better than North America >.
Who's woman and why is she not names here?
Kirsty Wark
i wish we received this kind of tv in the states...i'm sick of the bullshit we are being exposed to.
Chaos is becoming extremely controversial. Just look at how scientists are trying to fight off quantum chaos, which threatens to unhinge quantum mechanics entirely.
What IS this program? Why have I never seen it before?! It sounds to me like the X-Factor for people with an IQ that's not embarassingly low. Awesome o.o
It's so sad this so got canceled so quickly
@TrueMusou Substitute "the states" with anywhere but Great Britain.
So basically nothing's random, there is no chance it's purely cause and effect? Um isn't that just common sense? Doesn't everyone know that?
First time ever watching this show. I just can't take Andy seriously. Any moment I'm fully expecting him to take the micky out of his guest.
aww. west pier
you may've 'dreamed' it into reality...or not.
either way you're as happy about it as i am.
its just a different way of demonstrating those ideas to the general public...through comedy and showmanship. we do the same thing in the states, except we prefer amazing computer generated visuals to the british's bland humor. takes all types :)
Rules so simple that they can't predict the movement of the pendulum?
Because you'd need to know too much information to predict it
its a funny show, but i tend to fall asleep a bit when the nerds go on, and im confused, cool pendulem tho
He uses the dog analogy twice; so much i get the impression he can't actually explain it without analogy. Ie it's a weak theory. And stop talking about a dog when that is a life form rather than an object. It would chaotic for a dog to idk what does he expect walk in an absolute uniform line - that is chaos because it's so illogical. There wasn't that much randomness in the thingy either. 1 pattern it always went from left to right like a pendulum and most of the time repeated once the same movement on each side. But still it is chaotic... but if we had computers to measure it it would hardly be chaotic. Secondly i think you can predict it... taking the appartus example, it's surely determine by whatever arrangement he drops it from that can eb angle of the middle bit and then angle of the last limb when dropped ie a combination of 2 angles. The idea of chaotic is normative... that thing would be twice as chaotic if it moved asymetrical. So wait is 'there's nothing random about chaos' ... but he also said 'we can't predict how it will be'. Is this just a stupid theory that is only famous because of it's name and so then it was in a film too..
Side note; this guy's so subsconsiously sinister 'it might hit us and you can't predict' 'and we'd blow up in a horrible mess' so unneccessary; just say it would fly into the sun..'i'm a scary mathematician' 'what you learnt in school *you dumb fucks*'
Funny voice)))))))
Nassim Haramein got there first!!!
You're something special, aren't ya?
Not that I care that much about this BUT how many stereotypes are going on in this video? I love chaos theory, science, the universe etc but we have the smart scientist (middle age white guy, glasses, nerdy), we have the the other middle age white guy watching and really understanding the theory, we have a woman who has heard the theory and says 'I like the idea of birds knowing what they're doing hehehe', and finally we have the black guy, 'I don't like or get it but I can use it on women..'.
@POLILOPIYAH What if the FUCKING difference? See, that a form of emphasis, which means you are putting to much emphasis on all your text which make it really hard to read and, 2, give the sensation that YOU ARE talking really REALLY strong. Do NOT abuse CAPital leTTERs.
black guy's unnecessary mean
Unkind
Not as good since the prof went to heaven :)
lol even our dutch tv shows suck compared to the british
This "mathematician" didn't give the proper butterfly story. Lorenz was using a math model and scoffed at the butterfly wings flapping to a hurricane bit. BS. Don't watch.
The reason that one asshole butterfly doesn't produce hurricanes all over the place constantly is because all the other butterflies are working hard on stopping him. They're the true heroes of this world.
Ah, go on. Watch if you want. L Dub ill can't tell you what to do.