Sensitive dependence of complex systems: an agent-based modelling demonstration Online publication date: Wed, 19-Oct-2016
by Mahmoud T. Khasawneh; Jun Zhang
International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology (IJCAT), Vol. 54, No. 3, 2016
Abstract: The objective of this paper is to provide insights about the phenomenon of sensitive dependence of complex systems on initial conditions (i.e., the butterfly effect). An agent-directed simulation of a case study is presented to demonstrate and investigate this phenomenon. The case study used is exploring the impact of one person on a population's genome. A population growth simulation was created as a baseline. Every agent in the population was given a unique ten-digit identifier to represent their DNA coding. Other simulations were run with small perturbation factors introduced to the initial conditions. Results show that mild perturbations introduced to a population growth model can significantly alter the genetic structure of a population in the long term. Furthermore, the simulation revealed a positive relationship between the complexity of the system and the speed at which the butterfly effect emerges.
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