The Butterfly Effect
“The Butterfly Effect” is a book written by Andy Andrews. He starts off by introducing Edward Lorenz who presented a hypothesis to the New York Academy of Science. He is theory was that:
“A butterfly could flap its wings and set molecules of air in motion, which would move other molecules of air, in turn moving other molecules of air – eventually capable of starting a hurricane on the other side of the planet.”(1)
As you might expect, his ideas were laughed out of the venue. But thirty years later, his theory as revisited and found to be true ,to the point where it was accorded the status of a law, now known as “The Law of Sensitive Dependence Upon Initial Conditions.”(2)
Joshua Chamberlain
In his book, Andrews demonstrates how the same phenomenon exhibits itself in people. He uses the story of Joshua Chamberlain, the commanding officer of the 20th Maine Regiment who was tasked with protecting the left most flank of the Union lines at the Battle of Gettysburg. His role was crucial in that should his position be overrun, the Confederates would be able to envelop the entire Union army from a tactically superior position. Read more
