Sea gulls, butterflies, and grasshoppers: A brief history of the butterfly effect in nonlinear dynamics

2004/03/10 by Robert C. Hilborn · 2 citations
Social Sciences · Decision Sciences · Environmental Science · #Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation #Complex Systems and Decision Making #Ecosystem dynamics and resilience

paper · doi:10.1119/1.1636492

openalex publication_date 2004/03/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/11

Abstract

The butterfly effect has become a popular metaphor for sensitive dependence on initial conditions—the hallmark of chaotic behavior. I describe how, where, and when this term was conceived in the 1970s. Surprisingly, the butterfly metaphor was predated by more than 70 years by the grasshopper effect.

Cited by

• Three Kinds of Butterfly Effects within Lorenz Models
• Butterfly effect [wikipedia]