ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Euler's three-body problem

Okay, so let's imagine you have three friends, named A, B, and C. A likes to move around a lot, B likes to move around a lot too, and C likes to stay still. Now, you want to figure out where A, B, and C will be after they move around for a while. This is what Euler's three-body problem is all about!

Now, let's pretend that A, B, and C are all standing on a big playground. A is going to start moving around in one direction, while B is going to move around in another direction. C is just going to stand still in the same spot.

As A and B move around, they start to change the way they move a little bit. They're always trying to get closer together or farther apart, or maybe they're trying to avoid each other. Because of this, it's really hard to predict exactly where A and B will end up after they've been moving around for a while.

Scientists have been trying to figure out the solution to Euler's three-body problem for centuries, but it's really hard to do! Even using computers, it can be tricky to predict where A and B will end up after moving around for a while with C standing still.

So, in short, Euler's three-body problem is all about trying to figure out where three objects will end up after they move around and influence each other's movements. It's a difficult problem that's been puzzling scientists for a long time!