Here at the Daily Dot, we have an unofficial tradition of sharing GIF images with each other every morning. Now we’re looping you into the circle. In the Morning GIF, we feature a popular—or just plain cool—GIF we found on Reddit, Canvas, or elsewhere on the Internet.
The Internet is full of strange: strange people, strange foods, strange theories, strange fandoms, and strange kittens. You name it; if it’s strange, it’s here. And ask anyone who’s just gotten up from a 10-hour stretch on the computer on their day off—it’s attractive as well.
Only natural, then, that the Internet would be home to a few odd strange attractors.
Mathematically, a strange attractor is…well, here’s a good definition:
When a bounded chaotic system does have some kind of long term pattern, but which is not a simple periodic oscillation or orbit we say that it has a Strange Attractor. If we plot the system’s behaviour in a graph over an extended period we may discover patterns that are not obvious in the short term. In addition even if we start with different initial conditions for the system, we will usually find the same pattern emerging. The area for which this holds true is called the basin of attraction for the attractor.
All clear then? Great.
This GIF of a strange attractor in mobile 3D was created by Tumblr user davidope using Chaoscape software, which allows any user to create three-dimensional models of strange attractors.
It It is indeed strangely attractive, collecting over 1300 notes, and not just because it reminds me of every Jude Law movie ever.
