PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY COLLOQUIUM
		     Tuesday, September 25, 2001
		   Room 118 Physics-Astronomy Bldg.
			     4:10 p.m.
		Refreshments at 3:45 p.m. - Room 224 PA


	   "Making a Splash; Breaking a Neck: The Development
		  of Complexity in Physical Systems"

			   Presented by

			   Leo Kadanoff
		      James Franck Institute

Work done by
Michael Brenner, Peter Constantin, Todd Dupont, Leo Kadanoff, Albert
Libchaber, Sidney Nagel, Robert Rosner, and many others

Abstract

We study the motion of fluids, with the aim of developing a
fundamental understanding of fluid flow. Our program is characterized
by close cooperation among experimenters, theoreticians, and
simulators. The world about us exhibits many beautiful and important
fluid flows.  Consider clouds and waves, storms, and earthquakes,
sunspots and mountain-building.  What can we learn from all this
richness?

Mostly our work involves solving particular problems, e.g. 'how does
heat flow in a pot of water heated over a flame'.  But, in following
these problems we soon get to broader issues: predictability and
chaos, the likelihood of very extreme outcomes,  and the natural
formation of complex 'machines'.

In the end, we try to ask if there is a 'science of complexity' and
are there natural 'laws' of complex things.  My answer is 'no', but I
do see important lessons to be learned from studying such systems.