Editing Two-body problem (section)

{{Short description|Motion problem in classical mechanics}}
{{About|the two-body problem in classical mechanics|the relativistic version|Two-body problem in general relativity|the career management problem of working couples|Two-body problem (career)}}
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 |footer='''Left:''' Two bodies of similar [[mass]] orbiting a common [[barycenter]] external to both bodies, with [[elliptic orbit]]s. This model is typical of [[binary stars]].<br>'''Right:''' Two bodies with a "slight" difference in mass orbiting a common barycenter. Their sizes and this type of orbit are similar to the [[Pluto#Satellites|Pluto–Charon system]] (in which the barycenter is external to both bodies), as well as the [[Earth]]–[[Moon]] system (in which the barycenter is internal to the larger body).
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{{Astrodynamics}}

In [[classical mechanics]], the '''two-body problem''' is to calculate and predict the motion of two massive bodies that are orbiting each other in space. The problem assumes that the two bodies are [[point particle]]s that interact only with one another; the only force affecting each object arises from the other one, and all other objects are ignored.

The most prominent example of the classical two-body problem is the gravitational case (see also [[Kepler problem]]), arising in astronomy for predicting the orbits (or escapes from orbit) of objects such as [[satellite]]s, [[planet]]s, and [[stars]]. A two-point-particle model of such a system nearly always describes its behavior well enough to provide useful insights and predictions.

A simpler "one body" model, the "[[Classical central-force problem|central-force problem]]", treats one object as the immobile source of a force acting on the other. One then seeks to predict the motion of the single remaining mobile object. Such an approximation can give useful results when one object is much more massive than the other (as with a light planet orbiting a heavy star, where the star can be treated as essentially stationary).

However, the one-body approximation is usually unnecessary except as a stepping stone. For many forces, including gravitational ones, the general version of the two-body problem can be [[#Reduction to two independent, one-body problems|reduced to a pair of one-body problems]], allowing it to be solved completely, and giving a solution simple enough to be used effectively.

By contrast, the [[three-body problem]] (and, more generally, the [[n-body problem|''n''-body problem]] for ''n''&nbsp;≥&nbsp;3) cannot be solved in terms of first integrals, except in special cases.