Edward N. Lorenz
Edward Norton Lorenz (May 23, 1917 – April 16, 2008) was an American mathematician and meteorologist. He was one of the first to work in the field of Chaos theory. He was the first to use the term Butterfly effect for dynamic systems that are very sensitive to starting conditions. In the 1960s, he used a simple model for weather prediction, which he simialated on a computer. With this setup, he discovered that only a slight change of the values he used for the model could lead to totally different results. This is known as Butterfly effect. In numerical weather predicion, values are often rounded, so that in each step, a small error is added.
Edward Norton Lorenz | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 23, 1917 West Hartford, Connecticut, United States |
| Died | April 16, 2008 (aged 90) Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College (BA, 1938) Harvard University (MA, 1940) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (SM, 1943; ScD, 1948) |
| Known for | Chaos theory Lorenz attractor Butterfly effect |
| Awards | Symons Gold Medal (1973) Crafoord Prize (1983) Kyoto Prize (1991) Lomonosov Gold Medal (2004) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics and Meteorology |
| Institutions | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Thesis | A Method of Applying the Hydrodynamic and Thermodynamic Equations to Atmospheric Models (1948) |
| Doctoral students | Kevin E. Trenberth William D. Sellers |
He also discovered and developed the mathematical foundations. For his simulations he used a system of equations, which is now named after him.