The Math of Catastrophe

(quantamagazine.org)

53 points | by pseudolus 3 days ago ago

5 comments

  • bethekind 2 days ago ago

    > the behavior of a complex system can simplify as it passes from one state to another. “Sometimes a high-dimensional system can tip,” said Lenton, “and when it gets near tipping, it starts to behave like a much lower-dimensional system.” The lesson, he added, echoes the one learned at Peter Lake: to “simplify without oversimplifying.”

    Sounds a lot like what people WANT neural networks to do. Collapse a high dimensional situation into a very low dimensional network. Ideally a binary answer, yes or no. I wonder if this bifurcation chaos math has implications in ml work

  • danielodievich 20 hours ago ago

    I personally very much appreciate this kind of science, it is what made our world what it is. However, the public people leading the world appear to be unable to read a single page, much less this kind of article, or appreciate the complexity of the systems we are all operating with. We're all screwed. Especially my kids. Bah.

  • CalRobert 2 days ago ago

    I wonder how well this math works for things like sociological phenomena.

    """ According to their model, a tipping point in the AMOC should occur between 2025 and 2095, with 95% confidence. They expect it in 2057. """

    As someone with a Dutch mortgage due to be paid off in 2055 I'm not sure what to do...

  • trosenbaum 2 days ago ago

    I believe this area of mathematics will become one of the most important areas within 10 years.

  • capitalbreeze 2 days ago ago

    [dead]