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three-body problem

American  
[three-bod-ee] / ˈθriˈbɒd i /

noun

Astronomy, Mechanics.

  1. the problem of calculating the motions of three bodies in space moving under the influence of only their mutual gravitational attraction.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The game involves a planet beset by radical changes in climate owing to the gravitational effect of three suns — that three-body problem that comprises the title.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2024

Isaac Newton, the three-body problem, and Pluto’s misbehaving moons.

From Scientific American • Jul. 18, 2015

Mr. Travis thinks the machine may solve astronomy's knotty "three-body problem."

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.