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A general term for calculations involving the gravitational interaction of an arbitrary number (n) of masses. The motion of two bodies is easily analysed and solutions exist for certain cases of three-body interaction. For values of n greater than 2, there are no general solutions and particular cases necessitate vast amounts of computation. Examples in astronomy requiring the solution of n-body problems are the motion of a space probe in the solar system, and the orbits of stars within a cluster.
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