Can you find order in chaos?

We have a Chaotic Pendulum exhibit!

How very appropriate, some might say…

Thanks to the Exploratorium for this image

At one point, myself and another interpreter tried to test this theory. We conducted all 100 trials on a quiet summer morning and before each trial, we would attempt to predict where the pendulum would end.  Is there order in chaos?  (Using this system as an example)

If we can predict one year into the future, that means we can predict one hour into the future and even one second into the future.  Let’s say every morning,  you take a walk in your neighborhood.  You walk down the street and back.  Is this walk always the same?  Think about some of the factors involved:  sunny day vs. cloudy day, new walking shoes vs. old walking shoes, neighborhood cat vs. no neighborhood cat, thoughts about work vs. thoughts about school.  This list could go on and on.  With so many factors to consider, each walk down your neighborhood street should be entirely different – even though you start from the same location.  The same thing applies to our chaotic pendulum.  It has one large piece with 3 separate pieces attached to the main one.  With that much potential motion…the end result or the route to the end is different, impossible to predict.

In testing this at the museum, our question was, “If we issue 100 trials and release the chaotic pendulum from the same starting point, where will it end up?”  We did not have any luck predicting the result.  Come and try this experiment out for yourself.  Let us know the results