Can a butterfly flapping its wings in Tibet, cause a hurricane in America?

Answer 1

I highly doubt it.

Hurricanes are cyclones that develop over the warm tropical oceans and have sustained winds in excess of 64 knots (74 miles/hour). These storms are capable of producing dangerous winds, torrential rains and flooding, all of which may result in tremendous property damage and loss of life in coastal populations.

Hurricanes are formed from simple complexes of thunderstorms. However, these thunderstorms can only grow to hurricane strength with cooperation from both the ocean and the atmosphere. First of all, the ocean water itself must be warmer than 26.5 degrees Celsius (81°F). The heat and moisture from this warm water is ultimately the source of energy for hurricanes. Hurricanes will weaken rapidly when they travel over land or colder ocean waters -- locations with insufficient heat and/or moisture.

Related to having warm ocean water, high relative humidities in the lower and middle troposphere are also required for hurricane development. These high humidities reduce the amount of evaporation in clouds and maximizes the latent heat released because there is more precipitation. The concentration of latent heat is critical to driving the system.

Answer 2

That's the simple analogy for chaos theory...

Here's the idea. A tiny disruption (e.g. the butterfly flapping it's wings) of a complex system (e.g. global weather patterns) can cause significant and unpredictable disruptions of that system further down range (e.g. a hurricane).

So...Here's a step-by-step explanation:

Let's assume the weather is stable - No hurricanes supposed to be coming up this year. However, a butterfly zigs when it should have zagged in Tibet. This causes a very small draft of wind to destabilize a small mass of air that then cascades down a hill.

That smaller mass of air rolls downhill and causes an upwelling in a much larger mass of air - That alters the wind patterns down towards the sea. Those altered patterns lead to a much larger mass of air soaking up more energy than it should an so on and so on until you have a hurricane spilling through the Gulf of Mexico.

They're making use of Chaos theory in space exploration now using 'Chaotic orbits'.

Hope this helps!

Orion

Answer 3

No, it is impossible for such a small amount of energy to create such unbelievable amounts of energy without disruption of an atom's nucleus. Since a butterfly cannot split the atom, yet, we are all safe from the myriad flapping wings found on our planet.

Answer 4

Can a cockroach climbing it's way down your throat cause an eruption in your a*s?

Answer 5

Yes, if you suscribe to the chaos theory