The butterfly effect is a concept in chaos theory that suggests that a small

change in one part of a system can have far-reaching consequences in other

parts of the system. The term "butterfly effect" itself is often attributed to
Edward Lorenz, a meteorologist, and mathematician.

The name comes from the idea that the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil could
set off a chain of events that leads to a tornado in Texas. While this is a
metaphorical example, the underlying principle is that tiny changes in the initial
conditions of a complex system can lead to significant and unpredictable
outcomes.

In a more formal sense, the butterfly effect is part of the broader field of chaos
theory, which studies the behavior of dynamic systems that are highly sensitive
to initial conditions. Even though these systems may be deterministic and
governed by fixed rules, small variations in the starting conditions can lead to
vastly different outcomes over time.

The butterfly effect has been used to explain phenomena in various fields,
including meteorology, physics, economics, and even social systems. It
highlights the inherent difficulty in making long-term predictions for certain
complex systems, as small errors or uncertainties in the initial conditions can
amplify and lead to dramatically different outcomes over time.