The Beauty of Chaos
Credit: Caleb Chalmers
Mathematics undergraduate Caleb Chalmers became enamored with a graph known as the logistic map during his department’s Summer Directed Reading Program. Based on a seemingly simple formula that describes changes over time, the logistic map can be used to depict phenomena like population growth. However, despite its simplicity, complex behaviors begin to emerge as time progresses. Chalmers created his own version of this chaotic portion of the map using a custom computer script. The result is shown here, where beautiful curves and orderly intervals are observed in a sea of anarchy.