Abstract
The concept of “chaos” seems naturally associated with catastrophe. The most violent terrestrial catastrophes in our time—the tornadoes, earthquakes, explosions, avalanches—take the well-ordered attributes of our modern world and convert them to a chaotic jumble, with shattered buildings, ruptured utility lines, and the general random disorder we term “chaotic”. The essence of the concept of chaos is unpredictability. Weather forecasters cannot predict just when an ominous tornado cloud will descend from a squall line, and the disposition of trees, homes, and vehicles in its path can be known only after the damage has been done.
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© 1989 Clark R. Chapman and David Morrison
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Chapman, C.R., Morrison, D. (1989). Chaos. In: Cosmic Catastrophes. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6553-0_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6553-0_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-306-43163-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-6553-0
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