Synopses & Reviews
At the beginning of the 20th century the French physicist and mathematician Henri Poincare plotted the orbits of three planets qualitatively in phase space and then examined a section of their trajectories. His solutions suggested that the presence of a third body could cause a planet to gyrate, wave or even fly off. What Poincare had discovered was chaos. Poincare's discovery -- implying that the solar system was chaotic, a few decimal points away from annihilation -- was neglected for decades. Here is the story behind this great discovery.
Synopsis
Poincare's discovery--implying that the solar system was chaotic, a few decimal points away from annihilation--was neglected for decades. Here is the story behind this great discovery.