On the definition of 'chaos'

A new definition of a chaotic invariant set is given for a continuous semiflow in a metric space. It generalizes the well-known definition due to Devaney and allows one to take into account a special feature occurring in the non-compact infinite-dimensional case: so-called turbulent chaos. The paper consists of two sections. The first contains several well-known facts from chaotic dynamics, together with new definitions and results. The second presents a concrete example demonstrating that our definition of chaos is meaningful. Namely, an infinite-dimensional system of ordinary differential equations is investigated having an attractor that is chaotic in the sense of the new definition but not in the sense of Devaney or Knudsen.