Mathematics and Statistics Colloquium

Calvin University

Todd Kapitula
Calvin University

February 05, 2026
3:05pm   •   North Hall 276

Is a messy situation chaotic?

In colloquial terms the word “chaotic” is often used to describe a system where the outcomes appear to be random. Physical examples include the daily weather, a weakly forced pendulum, and turbulent fluid flow. But, a chaotic system is not at all random - it is completely deterministic! We will provide a mathematical definition of chaos and show through a simple mathematical model how it arises in nonlinear systems.