Edward Lorenz, 90, Father of Chaos Theory
By Associated Press
April 17, 2008
Edward Lorenz, the father of chaos theory, died yesterday at his home in Cambridge, Mass., Wednesday. He was 90.
As a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he came up with the scientific concept that small effects lead to big changes, something that was explained in a simple example known as the "butterfly effect." He explained how something as minuscule as a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil changes the constantly moving atmosphere in ways that could later trigger tornadoes in Texas.