Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains The Three-Body Problem

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Published 2024-04-16
What is the three body problem? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice break down why the three body problem is unsolvable and what makes it mathematically chaotic.

Is the solar system unstable? Find out about Isaac Newton’s worries about the solar system, Pierre-Simon Laplace’s calculus, and perturbation theory. Would a binary star system be chaotic? What about a star system with three suns? Four suns? Five? Learn about the restricted three body problem and how the Jupiter-Earth-Sun system could be chaotic down the line.

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Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

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00:00 - Introduction: The Three-Body Problem
00:31 - The Chaos in Our Solar System
3:29 - Laplace & A New Branch of Calculus
6:21 - Orbiting Two & Three Suns
8:45 - The Restricted Three-Body Problem
10:09 - Chaotic Systems

All Comments (21)
  • @StarTalk
    Are you watching “3 Body Problem” on Netflix?
  • @davidfulton179
    I don't watch a lot of TV so I didn't know this was going on. A colleague of mine ask me about the three body problem because she's a TV watcher. She wanted me to break it down. But the explanation ended abruptly because she doesn't believe the Earth is a sphere. It saved A LOT of time!
  • @RelativelyBest
    I had a three body problem once. Luckily, I know people who discreetly take care of that sort of thing.
  • @moonchile245
    "where is your gravitational allegiance?" with no context is my new fav question to ask people
  • @Saybia1
    I can't watch Neil deGrasse Tyson now without thinking about that Key & Peele skit 🤣🤣
  • Goes perfectly with the saying, "Two's company, three's a crowd".
  • @PhaseControlDNB
    I love it how Chuck sometimes says "Gotcha" but his face tells you "I don't get it" 😃
  • @Masebook
    Chuck is me in my high school science classes: “right, right, uh huh, it’s the… got it yeah because of the thing — right, okay…. Ahhhh….”
  • Waaaay late to the conversation, but a student of mine wondered if the liquid core of earth acts as a reset of Jupiter's brief pull. Kinda like how pool water eventually settles after you jump in.
  • @raphlin7
    Isaac Newton solved it in a cave! With a box of apples!
  • Watch 3 Body Problem!!! SUCH an awesome sci-fi story!!! The first season barely even scratches the surface!
  • I love Neil for how he also brings up all these side notes while explaining.
  • @spidalack
    "i had no need of that hypothesis" Still one of the best burns in history.
  • @JimmyJr_7
    In June ‘22 I was lucky enough to meet and talk to Neil before a show in London, if anyone is wondering how he is off camera- he is the exact same as this, proper top bloke.
  • @kjmav10135
    I just stumbled upon this, and I have absolutely no idea why this matters to mere mortals, seeing as things seem to remain on course, but I am SO GLAD to know about the three body problem ANYWAY. I’ll be standing the grocery store, completely forgetting the fifth thing on the shopping list I left at home, and I’ll be able to say to myself, “Ah yes! I forgot why I’m here, next to the melons, but at least I remembered the Three Body Problem!!”
  • @JustXavier
    "I'm in love with two stars and I don't know what to do. Which way do I turn?" 😂😂😂😂😂😂
  • All I heard in my head was Christofer Walken saying, “I need more calculus.” 😂😂
  • @user-uq4ze5jb8v
    'Sir, I had no need for that hypothesis' 'Oooohhh that's a mic droppp' 🤣🤣🤣