dies Edward Lorenz, father of chaos theory, at age 90
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Edward Lorenz, father of chaos theory and who showed how small actions can cause large changes in what could be known as the "butterfly effect," died Wednesday at age 90 from cancer, said Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Lorenz, a meteorologist, discovered in the 1960s that small differences in a dynamic system like the atmosphere could set off enormous changes. In 1972 he presented a study entitled "Predictibidad: The Beat of a butterfly's wings in Brazil causes a Tornado in Texas?."
born in 1917 in West Hartford, Connecticut, Lorenz earned degrees in mathematics from Dartmouth College in 1938, from Harvard University in 1940, and degrees in meteorology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, for its acronym in English) 1943 and 1948.
While working as a weather forecaster for the Army Air Corps United States in World War II, decided to study meteorology.
"As a child I was always interested in doing things with numbers and was also fascinated by changes in weather, "Lorenz wrote in an autobiography.
" By showing that certain deterministic systems have formal predictability limits, Lorenz put the last nail in the coffin of the Cartesian universe and fomented what some have called the third scientific revolution of the 20th century, on the heels of relativity and quantum physics, "said Kerry Emanuel, professor of atmospheric science at MIT.
" was also a perfect gentleman, and through his intelligence, integrity and humility set a very high standard for future generations, "Emanuel said in a statement.
In 1991, Lorenz won the Kyoto Prize for basic sciences in the field of earth and planetary sciences.
The prize committee said Lorenz "made his boldest scientific achievement in discovering the 'deterministic chaos', a principle which has profoundly influenced a wide range of basic sciences and brought about one of the most dramatic changes in vision that mankind had of nature since Sir Isaac Newton. "
Lorenz, who enjoyed hiking and skiing, stayed active until two weeks before his death at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, his family said. He left three sons and four grandchildren. (Reporting by Maggie Fox, editing by Alan Elsner English)
© Reuters 2008 All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Edward Lorenz, father of chaos theory and who showed how small actions can cause large changes in what could be known as the "butterfly effect," died Wednesday at age 90 from cancer, said Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Lorenz, a meteorologist, discovered in the 1960s that small differences in a dynamic system like the atmosphere could set off enormous changes. In 1972 he presented a study entitled "Predictibidad: The Beat of a butterfly's wings in Brazil causes a Tornado in Texas?."
born in 1917 in West Hartford, Connecticut, Lorenz earned degrees in mathematics from Dartmouth College in 1938, from Harvard University in 1940, and degrees in meteorology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, for its acronym in English) 1943 and 1948.
While working as a weather forecaster for the Army Air Corps United States in World War II, decided to study meteorology.
"As a child I was always interested in doing things with numbers and was also fascinated by changes in weather, "Lorenz wrote in an autobiography.
" By showing that certain deterministic systems have formal predictability limits, Lorenz put the last nail in the coffin of the Cartesian universe and fomented what some have called the third scientific revolution of the 20th century, on the heels of relativity and quantum physics, "said Kerry Emanuel, professor of atmospheric science at MIT.
" was also a perfect gentleman, and through his intelligence, integrity and humility set a very high standard for future generations, "Emanuel said in a statement.
In 1991, Lorenz won the Kyoto Prize for basic sciences in the field of earth and planetary sciences.
The prize committee said Lorenz "made his boldest scientific achievement in discovering the 'deterministic chaos', a principle which has profoundly influenced a wide range of basic sciences and brought about one of the most dramatic changes in vision that mankind had of nature since Sir Isaac Newton. "
Lorenz, who enjoyed hiking and skiing, stayed active until two weeks before his death at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, his family said. He left three sons and four grandchildren. (Reporting by Maggie Fox, editing by Alan Elsner English)
© Reuters 2008 All rights reserved.
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