![]() ![]() ![]() The 11 most beautiful mathematical equationsīut the scientists' solution goes further than that. ![]() In one scenario, two of the objects might orbit each other closely while the third is flung into a wide orbit in another, the third object might be ejected from the other two, never to return, and so on. Any slight difference in those initial conditions changes their future behavior drastically, and because there's always some uncertainty in what we know about those conditions, their behavior is impossible to calculate far out into the future. Instead of following a predictable path defined by a mathematical formula, the behavior of the three objects becomes sensitive to what scientists call "initial conditions" - that is, whatever speed and position they were in previously. But adding a third object isn't so simple: Suddenly, the interactions between the three objects become chaotic. That's because when two massive objects get close to each other, their gravitational attraction influences the paths they take in a way that can be described by a simple mathematical formula. But when a third object enters the picture, the problem becomes unsolvable. For physicists, predicting the motion of two massive objects, like a pair of stars, is a piece of cake. ![]()
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