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Learn more about "Chaos"
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Chaos
Chaos (pronounced kayos) (derived from the Ancient Greek , ''Chaos'') typically refers to unpredictability, and is the antithesis of cosmos.
The word did not mean "disorder" in classical-period ancient Greece. It meant "the primal emptiness, space" (see Chaos (mythology)). ''Chaos'' is derived from the Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European root (linguistics)|root ''ghn'' or ''ghen'' meaning "gape, be wide open": compare "chasm" (from Ancient Greek , a cleft, slit or gap), and Anglo-Saxon language|Anglo-Saxon ''gānian'' ("yawn"), ''geanian, ginian'' ("gape wide"); see also Old Norse Ginnungagap. Due to people misunderstanding early Christian uses of the word, the meaning of the word changed to "disorder". (''The Ancient Greek for "disorder" is ''''.'').
Scientific and mathematical chaos
Mathematically, ''chaos'' means an aperiodic deterministic behavior which is very sensitive to its initial conditions, i.e., infinitesimal perturbations of initial conditions for a chaotic dynamic system lead to large variations of the orbit in the phase space.
Chaotic systems are systems that look random but aren't. They are actually deterministic systems (predictable if you have enough information) governed by physical laws, that are very difficult to predict accurately (a commonly used example is weather forecasting).
Furthermore, the word ''gas'' is probably an alteration of ''chaos''. Particles in gases exhibit chaotic motion, although this was unknown to Jan Baptist van Helmont, the inventor of the term. He is instead believed to have been influenced by the concept of chaos in the occult theories of Paracelsus.
References
External links
Category:Greek loanwords
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Sources: StartLearningNow, Wikipedia | Usage license: GNU FDL
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