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6 votes
3 answers
2k views

N-body simulation still losing precision despite using arbitrary-precision arithmetic and symplectic integrator

A while ago I asked 2-body orbits expanding in nbody simulation?. One thing that I noticed was that JavaScript does not have arbitrary precision, and that I used RK4 as my integrator, while it is ...
1 vote
1 answer
205 views

Is it true that the 3 body problem can't be solved using the four basic functions, radicals, and integrals?

The two-body problem can be completely solved via two one-body problems, which only uses the four basic binary functions. However, the three-body problem cannot be solved with these functions and ...
2 votes
1 answer
278 views

What kind of triangle is formed by three unequal masses in a circular restricted three body orbit?

This answer to Are the orbits of all triple star systems at least technically unstable? mentions: There are known solutions to the gravitational three body problem that can be shown to be stable. ...
3 votes
1 answer
337 views

What is a thermal distribution of eccentricities?

The abstract of the new (open access) paper in Nature A statistical solution to the chaotic, non-hierarchical three-body problem says: The three-body problem is arguably the oldest open question in ...