CS382:Chaos

Background Reading

• Making Order Out of Chaos: Edward Lorenz
• Edward N. Lorenz "Deterministic Nonperiodic Flow"
• Deterministic Nonperiodic Flow (1963)
• James Gleick "Chaos: Making a New Science"

Lecture Note

• Lecture 1:
  • Story of Edward Lorenz
  • How he found butterfly effect
  • Introducing the weather model which Lorenz used

• Lecture 2:
  • Climate model
  • Introducing NetLogo-like climate model
  • Basic of earth science (showing the relationship among temperature, pressure, wind, and humidity)

• Lecture 3:
  • Numerical weather prediction
  • Introducing how weather channel forecasts tomorrow's climate
  • Different between numerical weather prediction and deterministic climate model
  • NOAA

• Lecture 4:
  • Global warming
  • Can computer scientist predict climate 100 years later?
  • Super computer for climate model (earth simulator, etc)

Classroom Response Question

• Who found butterfly effect?
  • a. Edward Lorenz
  • b. Hendrik Lorentz
  • c. Edward Teller
  • d. Edward VIII

• What is the chance of rain tomorrow?
  • a. 30%
  • b. 40%
  • c. 50%
  • d. (from weather channel)

• How accurate are weather forecasts?
  • a. 100%
  • b. 90%
  • c. 80%
  • d. 70%

Lab Activity

• To modify source code, compute lorenz attractor. GNU Plot can plot a 3 dimensional graph. A variety of shapes will be displayed depending on initial parameters.
• To show chaotic system (climate might be to complex)
• Look up Shodor (function flyer)
• Lorenz Attractor