Simple systems can yield complex behaviors from "summary" of Chaos by James Gleick
The idea that simple systems can give rise to complex behaviors is a central tenet of chaos theory. The complexity that emerges from such systems is not the result of intricate components or elaborate structures, but rather the interactions between these elements. In many cases, these interactions can lead to unpredictable and seemingly random outcomes. One of the key insights of chaos theory is that even systems with very few components can exhibit complex and unpredictable behavior. This is because the behavior of these systems is often highly sensitive to initial conditions. Small changes in the starting state of the system can lead to dramatically different outcomes, making it difficult to predict its behavior over time. This sensitivity to initial conditions is often referred to as the "butterfly effect," a term coined by mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz. The idea is that the flap of a butterfly's win...
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