Message-Id: <3.0.3.32.19980429112255.006a9298@mail.walltech.com>
Date: Wed, 29 Apr 1998 11:22:55 -0500
To: pinhole@exploratorium.edu
From: geoff ruth <geoffr@eastside.org>
Subject: Re: Chaos
In-Reply-To: <v01540b22b16d0952a00b@[192.174.2.173]>
Paul,
You said that the drops will fall at random intervals. Is that accurate? I
thought there was a distinction between randomness and chaos -- it's not
random in the sense that the drops are responding to discernible gravity
laws and there may be some macro-scale patterns that appear, but on a close
level it's impossible to predict what they'll do. As an analogy, a fractal
picture definitely has order to it, but on a closer scale also has some
chaos to it. Am I using these words correctly?
On a different note, does anyone know why a car engine quietly creaks after
it's turned off. Obviously it has to do with the metal contracting, but
what causes the regular 'ticking' pattern that comes from the metal?
>Geoff
>
>In addition to Neil's comment:
>The water stream will break into drops,
>at some flow rates the drops will be regularly spaced in time, at other,
>very slow flow rates the drops will drip at random intervals.
>
>Paul D
>
>
>
>
Geoff Ruth
Eastside School
2101 Pulgas Avenue
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 323-5898