MovieChat Forums > Race to Witch Mountain (2009) Discussion > Chaos Theory?

Chaos Theory?

posted 13 years ago by virgiltx
7 replies | jump to latest

Quoting Dr. Alex Friedman:
"Chaos theory--the underlying order in apparently random data. ... Think about it. What are the odds that they would crash near Vegas, during a UFO convention, I got in your cab, then they got in your cab, and now we're all in Harlan's mobile home, loaded with his intel on where their ship is? That is not luck. That is a predetermined order of how things work in the Universe."

Does anyone understand how the above represents Chaos Theory? It seems to me to represent how things work in the movies, rather than in the Universe. But I don't claim to be an expert on the theory.

[–] Odie33 13 years ago

Yeah... It doesn't work, but I didn't take it too seriously. Anywho... Indeed, Alex's explanation is of fate -- as Jack had stated -- though that definition sounds familiar to something else.

I find this is a pretty good, simplistic explanation of chaos, AKA chaos theory:

From http://order.ph.utexas.edu/chaos/introduction.html

To a physicist, the phrase "chaotic motion" really has nothing with whether or not the motion of a physical system is frenzied or wild in appearance. In fact, a chaotic system can actually evolve in a way which appears smooth and ordered.

Rather, chaos refers to the issue of whether or not it is possible to make accurate long-term predictions about the behavior of the system.

Basically, it isn't the system that's random, instead, it is the conclusion (prediction) that can be uncertain despite tested methods of dtetermination.

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[–] fluffchop 9 years ago

Well the predestination of linear events is absolute. What makes life interesting is that we normally can't see everything from a higher plane where time has no meaning. Really the cab driver is irrelevant as it could be anyone who got paid a lot of money. Alex already had a relationship with Harlan. The UFO convention was incidental although it was the reason she was there. However, her role in anything was also irrelevant. The actual visit to Earth by the aliens achieved nothing at all also. They came, their ship got stolen, they found it and went home. So the "underlying order" is a complete fabrication of her mind. It's just how humans think. They try to make sense of completely random events and give meaning to those events as they relate to themselves.

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Scientologists love Narnia, there's plenty of closet space.

[–] Seth_Raven 9 years ago

" The actual visit to Earth by the aliens achieved nothing at all also. They came, their ship got stolen, they found it and went home."

It doesn't look like you've paid much attention when you watched the movie. The aliens came and got exactly what they came for and not only that, they've also prevented their race from invading Earth. I'm not sure how that's achieving "nothing at all" in your eyes.

[–] soad-94948 8 years ago

When I saw this I thought the op mixed up this board with Jurassic Park's

[–] virgiltx 8 years ago

When I saw this I thought the op mixed up this board with Jurassic Park's

?

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The story is king.

[–] Odie33 8 years ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cVLUPwrSmU

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W-a-a-a!..W-a-a-a!..How do you like it?!?..W-a-a-a!

[–] virgiltx 8 years ago

Of course, I should have remembered.

While we're on it, note the difference in the two explanations given, Dr. Friedman's vs Malcolm's. To me, they seem to be describing the opposite of each other's theory.

____________________
The story is king.