RE: computer-go: Go and chaos theory

[Thomas Johnson <tjohnson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 26-Oct-99 Ray Easton wrote:
> Systems with a finite number of states are by definition not chaotic.

On the contrary, chaos theory says nothing about whether or not a chaotic system
has a finite set of states - it just says that the state one arrives at after
some interval (be it real time, number moves, whatever) is highly dependent on
the initial state down to it's final detail.

With 361 parameters on the go board at any one turn, a change in just one can
have dramatic effects on the result of the game.  I would say go is a highly
chaotic system.

A nice definition of chaos theory is : "the qualitative study of unstable
aperiodic behavior in deterministic nonlinear dynamical systems".

Go is deterministic and dynamic.  I would probably say it's nonlinear.  It's
definitely unstable early on in the game, and with the ko rules, it's aperiodic
- at least until the end of the game (when it get's very periodic - pass, pass,
pass, pass... ;^) ).

One could definitely try approaching the game with chaos theory in mind.

-Tom Johnson