application of exactly the same mathematics to a totally different physical problem, with biological relevance: the conformation of a polymer, for example DNA
To describe the exact state of a polymer, we’d need an enormous number of geometrical parameters for example, the angles of every chemical bond.
It’s hopeless to predict this state, since the polymer is constantly being knocked about by the thermal motion of the surrounding fluid.
But here again, we may turn frustration into opportunity. Are there some overall, average properties of the whole polymer’s shape that we could try to predict?