Smoke and mirrors: Finding order in a chaotic world

Abstract

The kaleidoscope is a toy that turns chips of colored glass into endlessly varied patterns through the use of mirrors. There's something satisfying about patterns—we need them to create meaning, and we find beauty in their symmetry. Yet complex systems defy simple formulas. For example, it is impossible to describe something as mundane as the behavior of smoke as it rises using classical mathematics. Borrowing ideas from different disciplines, we can recast information literacy as an invitation to our students to play with the unpredictable variety of human experience and discover meaningful patterns for themselves.