Wiki #2: The Butterfly Effect

The butterfly effect basically says that one seemingly insignificant change in an event can drastically affect the events outcome. The term is often used when talking about weather forecasts, because Edward Lorenz made the term popular when he entered a rounded off decimal instead of a complete one when he was calculating a weather forecast. He discovered that by rounding the number, the results were drastically different than the original results with the full decimal. He then used the term "butterfly effect" to show that even a

small, insignificant thing, such as a rounded number or a butterfly, can create a chain of ripples that have more impact than expected on the final outcome. It is also related to time-travel theories and pop culture, where one change in a past event affects the entire future. It is evident in the films It's a Wonderful Life, and The Butterfly Effect, though both movies deal with more significant changes in the past that effect the future than what the definition of the "butterfly effect" determine necessary to affect the future.