Final answer:
Complexity refers to the study of complex adaptive systems, including their processes of self-organization, adaptation, and potential to evolve, spanning applications in physics and beyond. Chaos, a related but distinct field, studies systems with outcomes extremely sensitive to initial conditions. The goal of complexity is to understand these systems, providing insights into phenomena like crystal growth or the advancement of scientific knowledge.
Step-by-step explanation:
Complexity refers to the study of complex adaptive systems and their evolution, which includes the processes of self-organization, adaptation, and evolution. This field is rooted in physics, but it also finds applications across a variety of disciplines, including biological evolution, cultural development, economic systems, and artificial intelligence. As a predecessor to the field of complexity, the topic of chaos has gained attention. It deals with systems whose outcomes are highly sensitive to initial conditions, making their long-term behavior difficult to predict with precision. Some examples of chaos include the unpredictable orbit of Pluto or the heartbeat patterns in certain arrhythmias. Complexity, as a broader discipline, encompasses these concepts and extends them to examine systems that go beyond equilibrium, demonstrate self-organization, and possess the ability to evolve.
One example of complexity in traditional physics is the organized behavior within thermal systems described by statistical mechanics or the spontaneous emergence of crystal growth. Even within science itself, the human interactions that lead to the advancement of knowledge can be seen as a complex adaptive system. The discipline of complexity aims to draw parallels between different complex systems to gain insights and potentially develop new approaches to understanding the universe.