CompuServe Messages

Scott, Gee, I wish when I was 15 I had as clear an idea of my career plans as you seem to have! But, on to your question: will Chaos help you on the trek toward engineering? Well, look at it this way: putting a book under your pillow will help you learn only if you read it first <g>. Having Chaos will help you only if you use it as a tool, and not as a lightshow. You didn't mention which field you're interested in (Civil, Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, Aero…, ?), but there are aspects of Chaos applicable to each and all of these. Firstly, assign yourself a research problem. Pick a topic that interests you (non-laminar flow, torsional stress distribution, catalysis reaction, noise effects, …); study the mathematics as far as you can (push yourself a bit), and then find a piece of Chaos that fits the problem at hand (strange attractors, universes, etc.) and explore the effects of starting parameters on the system's behavior. In my checkered past, I've encountered non-deterministic patterns in deterministic systems of several disciplines: chemistry, chemical engineering, information systems, and (lately) electrical engineering -ignorance of Chaos then meant opportunities lost. Don't be distracted by the fancy colors (or the sounds!), look for the next level of order (and meaning) in the apparent jumble of data. Good luck! Tom.