Jan 9, 2009

Chaos (Word of the Day, 2009/1/7)

chaos /ˋkeɑs/(noun)

►A state of extreme confusion and disorder

--The country was plunged into economic chaos.

--There was chaos in the town after the hurricane had struck.

--Without rules, people would live in a state of chaos

►The formless and disordered state of matter before the creation of the cosmos

--The Greeks explained in their history that the Universe was created out of chaos.


Chaos (noun)

--In Greek mythology, Chaos (Xάος) or Khaos is the original state of existence from which the first gods appeared.


chaos(physics/mathematics)

►A dynamical system that is extremely sensitive to its initial conditions

-- The "chaos theory" is named after the fact that the systems which the theory describes are apparently disordered, but the theory is really about finding the underlying order in apparently random data.


Phrases

complete/utter/absolute etc chaos

--There was total chaos on the road

in chaos

--The kitchen was in chaos.

--The global economy is in chaos because of the greed of a few on Wall Street.

descent into chaos

--They attempt to balance excessive change with stability to prevent descent into chaos.

throw into chaos

►to make people feel very confused and not certain about what they should do

--The transport industry has been thrown into chaos by the strike.


Verbs used with chaos

bring, cause, control, create, end, lead, plunge, result, throw

--Human beings have themselves been responsible for bringing chaos and pain back to a world of ordered beauty.

--Flooding and snow have caused chaos in much of the Central South area.

--What would that do except create chaos?

--Unprepared liberalization can lead to economic chaos.

--Wholesale chaos occasionally results in selective progress.


chaotic/keˋɑtɪk/(adjective)

►Lacking a visible order or organization

►Completely unordered and unpredictable and confusing

--The city traffic was chaotic.

--The chaotic social and economic conditions could lead to civil war.

►Of or relating to a sensitive dependence on initial conditions

--Everyday examples of chaotic systems include weather and climate.

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