The butterfly effect

摘要

Dropping a stone in a pond causes ripple to emanate from the source, getting bigger and bigger the further away from the source they get. And - as the saying goes - a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil, causes a tornado in Texas. The ripple effect and the butterfly effect - two examples of small changes causing large and far-reaching effects. The riots many of us have experienced in recent weeks are another prime example of this: the shooting of a single man caused riots in his home of Tottenham, which sparked copycat rioting and looting in several towns and cities around the country.