There’s a problem in mathematics called the ‘three-body problem’. How two bodies interact can be encapsulated in a relationship where everything is clearly understood; what is termed as a closed-form expression. When there are three bodies that interact with each other, a lot has to do with how they start out, the initial conditions. Unless the initial conditions are specified in some way, it is difficult to model how these three bodies will interact with each other, unlike say when two bodies interact.
The three body problem
The three body problem
The three body problem
There’s a problem in mathematics called the ‘three-body problem’. How two bodies interact can be encapsulated in a relationship where everything is clearly understood; what is termed as a closed-form expression. When there are three bodies that interact with each other, a lot has to do with how they start out, the initial conditions. Unless the initial conditions are specified in some way, it is difficult to model how these three bodies will interact with each other, unlike say when two bodies interact.