From chaos and the butterfly effect to strange attractors, this course introduces participants to the modern study of dynamical systems— the interdisciplinary field of applied mathematics that studies systems that change over time. The course will run from Oct. 1 through Dec. 16, 2019.
This free course is open to anyone familiar with basic high school algebra concepts. You can enroll and begin lessons any time during the course.
Topics to be covered include: phase space, bifurcations, chaos, the butterfly effect, strange attractors, and pattern formation. The course will focus on some of the realizations from the study of dynamical systems that are of particular relevance to complex systems.
"Chaos and dynamical systems are foundational for understanding complex systems, and they're also interesting in their own right," says David Feldman (College of the Atlantic), the course creator and video instructor, and SFI's Interim VP for Education. "Chaos and dynamics have found applications in almost all branches of science and social science."
Instructor Patricia Mellodge (University of Hartford), a 2018 Complex Systems Summer School alum, will guide students through the syllabus and be available to answer questions.
The course is a continuation of the successful online course series that began with SFI External Professor Melanie Mitchell’s Introduction to Complexity.
Watch an introduction to the course in this video featuring David Feldman (2.5 minutes)