What exactly is the 3 Body Problem in the Netflix show?

If you've blitzed through 3 Body Problem, the new series by Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, you might be wondering about the science behind it all—especially what exactly the three-body problem is. Even the characters in the show are scratching their heads as their theories start falling apart.

The eight-episode series, adapted from the acclaimed Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy books, challenges conventional human understanding and transports us on an exhilarating adventure across continents and eras. It all starts in 1960s China, with a pivotal choice made by a young woman—an action that echoes through space and time, shaping events even in the present day.

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Unraveling the Mystery of Unexplainable Results

In Episode 1, Dr. Vera Ye (played by Vedette Lim), the former college professor of the Oxford Five, steps onto a platform atop a large tank and falls to her demise into a shallow pool of water below. That massive tank is actually a particle detector, sometimes referred to as a Cherenkov tank, utilized for observing, measuring, and identifying particles.

In the show, Jin, a brilliant physicist at Imperial College London, faces a dilemma when results from particle accelerators worldwide start to defy explanation. These accelerators propel charged particles using electromagnetic fields, and detectors like the tank Vera jumped into measure the collisions they create. These experiments are essential for understanding the universe.

The 3 Body Problem Explained

When three celestial objects, like planets or stars, are close together and affect each other with their gravitational pull, it's called the three-body problem. It's easy to predict how two objects move when they interact, but when three or more objects are involved, things get much harder to predict accurately.

In the show, the planet San-Ti orbits a solar system with three suns. This setup leads to alternating periods of stability and chaos: During stable eras, the planet orbits around one sun. However, when another sun pulls the planet towards it, the planet enters a chaotic phase as it navigates the gravitational influences of all three suns.

The eight-episode series features an ensemble cast including Benedict Wong, Jess Hong, Jovan Adepo, Eiza González, John Bradley, Alex Sharp, and Rosalind Chao. The 3 Body Problem is currently streaming on Netflix.

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