Chaos theory is a mathematical hypothesis concerned with the unpredictable outcomes that occur when small changes are introduced to complex systems. Complex systems are systems that contain so many variables that the computers are required to recalculate all the possible variations. Chaos theory has many implications for the fields of computing and networking. As computers grow more complex and integrate more backwards and forwards compatibility, chaos theory suggests the prevalence of bugs and glitches - and the corresponding need for patches and updates - will also grow. Moreover, as more and more of these complex systems are joined together to form networks, small glitches in component systems can have far reaching consequences, just as a heat wave in the tropics can bring storms to the North American coast.
Chaos theory has a long history of thought behind it, but one of the early pioneers to bring chaos theory to computing was Edward Lorenz. Lorenz was attempting to model weather, but soon found that his simulation tended towards real weather because it did not replicate the same pattern twice. Lorenz discovered that even seemingly insignificant changes to the initial conditions would cause larger changes in the eventual output.In a practical sense, chaos theory teaches developers that any tweak to a system is likely to affect something somewhere else. This means developers should use testing techniques that discover problems with existing functionality even though changed might have been made in an area of new functionality. However, in a theoretical sense, chaos theory has staggering implications for the future of computing. As our systems grow more complex, the job of patching holes will grow ever larger. To combat chaos theory, alternative computing models like adaptive systems with artificial intelligence have been proposed. In these systems, the disturbances caused by chaos theory would prompt the systems to come up with real time solutions to work around the inevitable problems - much like animals and plants evolve to thrive in changing environments.
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