---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The three-body problem is a term borrowed…"
description: "\"The three-body problem is a term borrowed from physics. It is a phenomenon that can basically be explained like this: Two objects in space can interact..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a73/liu-cixin-4142_complicated_the-three-body-problem-is-a-term-borrowe_2637327.jpg"
---

#  The three-body problem is a term borrowed from physics. It…

![“The three-body problem is a term borrowed from physics. It is a phenomenon that can basically be explained like this: Two objects in space can interact in a predictable fashion rotating around each other due to their gravitational pull. But if a third object is introduced, it makes their…” quote by Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a73/liu-cixin-4142_complicated_the-three-body-problem-is-a-term-borrowe_2637327.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a73/liu-cixin-4142_complicated_the-three-body-problem-is-a-term-borrowe_2637327.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a73/liu-cixin-4142_complicated_the-three-body-problem-is-a-term-borrowe_2637327.jpg)

> “The three-body problem is a term borrowed from physics. It is a phenomenon that can basically be explained like this: Two objects in space can interact in a predictable fashion rotating around each other due to their gravitational pull. But if a third object is introduced, it makes their interaction more complicated.”

[Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Adding a third interacting element creates unpredictable, complex dynamics, illustrating how systems become chaotic with more variables.

**In simple terms:** Three interacting bodies cause chaos.

Key Takeaway

Expect complexity when new elements are introduced.

Themes

physics complexity systems chaos interaction

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

scientific educational

When to use this quote

- engineering projects
- team collaborations
- policy making

Key Concepts

nonlinear dynamics emergent behavior

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you simplify complex systems?
- When is adding a component beneficial?

A Different Perspective

Complexity can be managed with careful modeling and control.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Borrowed Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borrowed-physics-2239479/) [Complicated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complicated/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Gravitational Pull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gravitational-pull-235383/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Physics Phenomenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics-phenomenon-2239478/) [Problem Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-term-2239480/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space Interact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-interact-1186117/)

## Related quotes

> [I think you always have to find where the boundary is in relation to the context in order to be able to kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/i-think-you-always-have-to-find-where-the-boundary-is-in-relation-to/)

[Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/)

> [You find the people that you need to find. There's this gravitational pull.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-mcginley/you-find-the-people-that-you-need-to-find-there-s-this-gravitational/)

[Ryan McGinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-mcginley/)

> [“Gravitational pull is the Max Plank’s vibration, which, as a source of motion, is the source of the gravitational pull, without which kinetic and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/gravitational-pull-is-the-max-plank-s-vibration-which-as-a-source-of/)

[Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/)

> [Parents are the centre of a person's solar system, even as an adult. My dad had a stronger gravitational pull than most, so his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-trudeau/parents-are-the-centre-of-a-person-s-solar-system-even-as-an-adult-my/)

[Justin Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-trudeau/)

> [“This is why people are so hard to understand. I cannot even estimate their gravitational pull.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-milan/this-is-why-people-are-so-hard-to-understand-i-cannot-even-estimate/)

[Courtney Milan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-milan/)

> [“Perhaps he can avoid being stretched by falling in a horizontal position, legs and head at the same altitude. Yet when the giant tries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/perhaps-he-can-avoid-being-stretched-by-falling-in-a-horizontal/)

[Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/)

> [Apparently, a great deal of dark, unseen material exists, whose gravitational pull is responsible for the motions of the stars and galaxies that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-barrow/apparently-a-great-deal-of-dark-unseen-material-exists-whose/)

[John D. Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-barrow/)

> [“In business circles, this is known as the “status quo trap”:12 the preference for everything to stay the same. The gravitational pull of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-business-circles-this-is-known-as-the-status-quo-trap-12-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The hood has a gravitational pull. It never leaves you behind, but it also never lets you leave. Because by making the choice to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/the-hood-has-a-gravitational-pull-it-never-leaves-you-behind-but-it/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [i realize that the future, though invisible, has weight. We are in the gravitational pull of past and future. It takes huge energy -speed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-realize-that-the-future-though-invisible-has-weight-we-are-in-the/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [The human body experiences a powerful gravitational pull in the direction of hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/the-human-body-experiences-a-powerful-gravitational-pull-in-the/)

[Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/)

> [“His attention felt more like an irrepressible gravitational pull than mere interest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blakely-bennett/his-attention-felt-more-like-an-irrepressible-gravitational-pull-than/)

[Blakely Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blakely-bennett/)

> [Even if 'going retrograde' or 'moving into Aquarius' were real phenomena, something that planets actually do, what influence could they possibly have on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/even-if-going-retrograde-or-moving-into-aquarius-were-real-phenomena/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [I do have some kind of gravitational pull towards young characters with more responsibility than they should have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lawrence/i-do-have-some-kind-of-gravitational-pull-towards-young-characters/)

[Jennifer Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lawrence/)

> [I recently had my annual physical examination, which I get once every seven years, and when the nurse weighed me, I was shocked to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/i-recently-had-my-annual-physical-examination-which-i-get-once-every/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

## More by Liu Cixin

> [“This is Galileo,” said Aristotle. “He advocates understanding the world through observation and experiment. He is an unimaginative thinker, but his results demand our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/this-is-galileo-said-aristotle-he-advocates-understanding-the-world/)

[Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

> [“She could no longer feel grief. She was now like a Geiger counter that had been subjected to too much radiation, no longer capable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/she-could-no-longer-feel-grief-she-was-now-like-a-geiger-counter-that/)

[Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

> [“As he left the hospital, he wasn’t scared. The only emotion he felt was loneliness. His alienation had been building up, but had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/as-he-left-the-hospital-he-wasn-t-scared-the-only-emotion-he-felt-was/)

[Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

> [“Yes. They spread out to cover the entire solar system. We’re trapped”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/yes-they-spread-out-to-cover-the-entire-solar-system-we-re-trapped/)

[Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

> [I am a conventional science fiction author. But that said, once your work is published, it no longer belongs to you. It belongs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/i-am-a-conventional-science-fiction-author-but-that-said-once-your/)

[Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

> [“None of these is in line with your original ideal of using the alien civilization as a way to reform humanity. YE: I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/none-of-these-is-in-line-with-your-original-ideal-of-using-the-alien/)

[Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

> [“This was characteristic of ultimate deterrence: The deterrer and the deteree shared the same terror of deterrence itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/this-was-characteristic-of-ultimate-deterrence-the-deterrer-and-the/)

[Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

> [The Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction was a horrible event. Dinosaurs and many other animals and plants were killed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/the-cretaceous-paleogene-extinction-was-a-horrible-event-dinosaurs/)

[Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

> [“Suppose two thousand years ago, or even earlier, humanity learned that an alien invasion fleet would arrive a few thousand years later. What would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/suppose-two-thousand-years-ago-or-even-earlier-humanity-learned-that/)

[Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

> [“Make time for life, or life won’t make time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/make-time-for-life-or-life-won-t-make-time/)

[Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

> [The earth's crust is very thin but the planet can act as a spaceship if a force or energy powerful enough was exerted on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/the-earth-s-crust-is-very-thin-but-the-planet-can-act-as-a-spaceship/)

[Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

> [“Indeed, it is the nature of intelligent life to climb mountains. They all want to stand on ever higher ground to gaze ever farther…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/indeed-it-is-the-nature-of-intelligent-life-to-climb-mountains-they/)

[Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

> [“I’ve always felt that the greatest and most beautiful stories in the history of humanity were not sung by wandering bards or written by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/i-ve-always-felt-that-the-greatest-and-most-beautiful-stories-in-the/)

[Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

> [“Are you under the impression that the object of everyone else’s love actually exists?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/are-you-under-the-impression-that-the-object-of-everyone-else-s-love/)

[Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

> [My own family went through its own difficulties in the Cultural Revolution, perhaps in a milder form than many other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/my-own-family-went-through-its-own-difficulties-in-the-cultural/)

[Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

[Explore all 106 Liu Cixin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

## More Complicated quotes

> [Of course I like you. It's because I like you I don't wanna be with you. It's a complicated emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlin/of-course-i-like-you-it-s-because-i-like-you-i-don-t-wanna-be-with/)

[Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlin/)

> [“Why the hell did he have to be so complicated? One minute he was charming, the next he withdrew behind his internal walls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lia-davis/why-the-hell-did-he-have-to-be-so-complicated-one-minute-he-was/)

[Lia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lia-davis/)

> [Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/)

[James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/)

> [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/)

[Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/)

> [“Just because it's complicated, just because you think you can't ever know everything about another person, it doesn't mean you can't try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-semple/just-because-it-s-complicated-just-because-you-think-you-can-t-ever/)

[Maria Semple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-semple/)

> [The one thing I absolutely hate about social media are the people who abuse it. Whenever I see a person who constantly posts negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmin-garcia/the-one-thing-i-absolutely-hate-about-social-media-are-the-people-who/)

[Jazmin Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmin-garcia/)

> [I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spottiswoode/i-think-the-ethics-and-morals-of-genetic-engineering-are-very/)

[Roger Spottiswoode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spottiswoode/)

> [Your Starbucks order is directly proportional to how complicated your personality is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin/your-starbucks-order-is-directly-proportional-to-how-complicated-your/)

[Kevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin/)

> [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/)

[Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/)

> [I have learned so much from my dad. Perhaps the biggest thing I've learned from my dad is how to be prepared at all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-sekulow/i-have-learned-so-much-from-my-dad-perhaps-the-biggest-thing-i-ve/)

[Jay Sekulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-sekulow/)

> [The world is complicated and full of grays, but there's still truth there to be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-world-is-complicated-and-full-of-grays-but-there-s-still-truth/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [ The parts of the \[Civil Right\] Movement we recognize so well now were not born from a single decision, but were a complicated and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-aydin/the-parts-of-the-civil-right-movement-we-recognize-so-well-now-were/)

[Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-aydin/)

> [Two people could build an outhouse in four hours. They're not complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-maxwell/two-people-could-build-an-outhouse-in-four-hours-they-re-not/)

[Robert Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-maxwell/)

[Browse all 3,190 Complicated quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complicated/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The three-body problem is a term borrowed from physics. It is a phenomenon that can basically be explained like this: Two objects in space can interact in a predictable fashion rotating around each other due to their gravitational pull. But if a third object is introduced, it makes their interaction more complicated.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Liu Cixin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/the-three-body-problem-is-a-term-borrowed-from-physics-it-is-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Complicated"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/the-three-body-problem-is-a-term-borrowed-from-physics-it-is-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a73/liu-cixin-4142_complicated_the-three-body-problem-is-a-term-borrowe_2637327.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a73/liu-cixin-4142_complicated_the-three-body-problem-is-a-term-borrowe_2637327.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a73/liu-cixin-4142_complicated_the-three-body-problem-is-a-term-borrowe_2637327.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The three-body problem is a term borrowed from physics. It is a phenomenon that can basically be explained…” — Liu Cixin",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Liu Cixin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The three-body problem is a term...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/the-three-body-problem-is-a-term-borrowed-from-physics-it-is-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/the-three-body-problem-is-a-term-borrowed-from-physics-it-is-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
