bifurcation

Bifurcation is a concept from mathematics and physics describing a point where a system's behavior changes dramatically, often splitting into two different paths or outcomes. Imagine a river splitting into two branches; similarly, in a bifurcation, a small change in conditions causes a system to shift from one state to two possible states. This phenomenon occurs in many natural and engineered systems, such as weather patterns, population dynamics, or electronic circuits, highlighting how small variations can lead to fundamentally different behaviors or structures.