the three body problem
In: 5
We can come up with a mathematical formula for where objects will be as they go through all kinds of different situations. We have a formula defined for how far something will fall *x* seconds after being released, another for how fast something will be moving *x* seconds after being struck by another object, and another for where a spacecraft will be after orbiting for *x* minutes. We even have formulas that describe where two planetary bodies (like a moon-planet pair) will be after they orbit each other for *x* years.
We don’t have a formula for precisely where a system of 3 or more bodies (planets, moons, stars, etc) will be after *x* years. To calculate that, we need to go step-by-step through time, simulating where they’ll be at each small slice of time from now until *x* years from now.
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