What is the butterfly effect?
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The idea comes from the study of chaotic systems. A chaotic system is one which can in concept be predicted (provided its initial state is known) but which is highly sensitive to initial conditions, producing very different results from slight changes to its initial state. Think about rolling a rock down a hill, a very minor change to which way it tips initially can lead to the rock coming to rest in a completely different spot. Even if you tried to roll the same rock in exactly the same way an invisibly small variation can lead to it glancing off a lump in the ground and taking a completely different path than before.
This aspect of chaotic systems is what is referred to with the “Butterfly Effect”, which is the idea that something as tiny as the flapping of a butterfly can influence the world such that the future turns out completely differently. The flapping is that tiny, seemingly inconsequential change which would result in the chaotic system turning out completely different.
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