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MENTAL MODEL · M11924

Butterfly Effect

Butterfly Effect
SystemsHigh supportComplexity Science
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

In dynamical systems, tiny differences in initial conditions are exponentially amplified, leading to vastly different long-term outcomes, illustrating nonlinear sensitivity.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

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In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state. The term is closely associated with the work of the mathematician and meteorologist Edwar…

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The system is sensitively dependent on initial conditions; errors grow exponentially over time, making long-term states difficult to predict precisely.

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effectZH · Explicit
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