Netflix’s latest sci-fi thriller ‘3 Body Problem‘ did not take long to skyrocket to the top of viewers’ must-watch lists. Adapted from Chinese author Cixin Liu’s bestselling trilogy ‘Remembrance of Earth’s Past’, the show brings forth a fresh narrative with a twist to the age-old aliens’ theory explored in every third sci-fi production. The show presents time as a non-linear concept, bringing a rather gripping tale to the viewers.
Headed by the creators of HBO’s epic ‘Game of Thrones‘, this sci-fi has wonderfully blended several aspects including physics, politics, and the mystery of extraterrestrial life. However, as fans dive deeper into the show’s mysteries layered with science, questions arise about the scientific accuracy on which the narrative of the show has been pinned. Here’s how accurate the science proposed in ‘3 Body Problem‘ is.
Is “Three-Body Problem” A Real Scientific Concept?
At the heart of the show lies the “three-body problem”, a real mathematical conundrum in celestial mechanics that has kept several scholars engaged for centuries and has still emerged unsolvable. Renowned physicist Djordje Minic opened up about this quandary, after seemingly watching the show.
“The three-body problem is a very famous problem in classical and celestial mechanics, which goes back to Isaac Newton. It involves three celestial bodies interacting via the gravitational force—that is, Newton’s law of gravity,” he said, further clarifying that this problem does not have an analytic solution, unlike the mathematical predictions of the motions of two-body systems such as Earth-moon or Earth-sun.
He further shed light on the consequent theory of “the butterfly effect”, which he said was born out of the great French mathematician Henri Poincaré’s work on the three-body problem, at the end of the 19th century. Though several scientific scholars tried to conclude this conundrum, it was all in vain. But in the show, science defies what Minic is claiming.
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Science Does Not Agree With The Story Proposed In ‘3 Body Problem’
In the show, creators have gone so far as to show a visually stunning portrayal of a solar system governed by three suns in a cosmic dance. Aerospace engineer Shane Ross pointed out that this portrayal is a clear indication of the creators having taken liberties with scientific reality.
“There are no known configurations of three massive stars that could maintain an erratic orbit,” Ross said. “There was a big breakthrough about 20 years ago when a figure eight solution of the three-body problem was discovered, in which three equal-sized stars chase each other around on a figure eight-shaped course. In fact, Cixin Liu makes reference to this in his books,” he noted.
He further added that many other mathematicians have found other solutions to the problem building on that development, “but in each case, the movement is not chaotic.” He further asserted that it is even more unlikely to have a fourth body, a planet, orbiting around this system of three stars.
“However erratically—it would either collide with one or be ejected from the system. The situation in the book would, therefore, be a solution to the ‘four-body problem,’ which I guess didn’t have quite the right ring to use as a title,” he noted.
Ross explained that even on a planet like Earth itself, achieving a stable climate is improbable. Countless factors must align perfectly to sustain life as we recognize it, he said. He further noted that despite the human perception of climate stability over the past 10,000 years, it’s an anomaly rather than the rule.
“It makes us think climate stability is the norm when, in fact, it’s the exception. It’s likely no coincidence that this has corresponded with the rise of advanced human civilization,” he said.
To conclude, Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem‘ may have been a treat to watch. But if we’re to look at it in a strictly scientific sense, it’s not at all accurate.
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