How about an operating system? It's an algorithm that's continuously looping, responding to user inputs. You can only predict the outcome of an algorithm if you can precisely define the input, and in this case the input has an extra element: time.

Million monkeys banging on keyboards? How's that for input statement...

I was thinking a bit more "this ship will self-destruct in 60 minutes". If there's nothing to get but debris there's no reason to attack the ships.