Chaos in a Water Drop.

Nature is chaotic. It appears to be more disorderly and random than orderly and regular. The path of a leaf in a rocky stream can appear as complex as the smoke from a cigarette or the outline of a cloud. In trying to model the path of a leaf in a rocky stream, the dynamical equations become rapidly complicated. A branch of scientific analysis know as Chaos has sprung up in the last few decades with techniques that can be applied to most of the physical sciences in an attempt to describe or categorize the various non-linear phenomena found in Nature. The aim of this paper is to provide an introduction to the study of chaotic behavior, with an emphasis on the potential teaching possibilities contained in some of the analysis. An appropriate beginning would be motion that is regular and "easy" to understand--stable motion. Along the way, various graphical representations will be developed that enable a clear viewing of the motion of the system under study. Next, the Logistic model will be used to gain an understanding of the nature of chaos; it is very comprehensive in representing the characteristics of chaos that will be studied in other systems. Another system studied is the three-dimensional Rossler model. In the study of the "dripping faucet", a time series of the periods between drips of water is recorded. Various techniques (collected from the introductory systems) are applied in an attempt to model the mechanism behind the water drops, or at least to characterize the graphical "animals" that we find. The water drop "attractor" is found to be chaotic, exhibiting many of the chaotic characteristics seen in other models. It is hoped that this work can be used as a primer for those students beginning a journey into Chaos, or as a reference tool for those already familiar with the topics enclosed. Many areas in this work were touched lightly; there is a rich un-tapped complexity still waiting future study. The waters here have only begun to be charted.