Feigenbaum's constant A universal constant, denoted by the Greek letter, that governs the behavior of systems that are approaching chaos; it was discovered by the American mathematical physicist Mitchell Feigenbaum (1944-) in 1975 and has the value δ (delta) = 4.6692... All one-dimensional chaotic systems have a behavior, as they approach instability, known as period doubling. The Feigenbaum constant gives the rate at which the period of the system doubles. Related categories CHAOS, COMPLEXITY, AND DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS NOTABLE NUMBERS Also on this site: Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living Encyclopedia of History Transport Concepts & Designs (partner site) |