N-body problem of first-order differential equations, with initial conditions as initial position coordinates and initial momentum values. Symmetries in the -body problem yield global integrals of motion that simplify the problem. Translational symmetry of the problem results in the center of mass moving with constant velocity, so that , where is the linear velocity and is the initial position. The constants of motion and represent six integrals of the motion. Rotational symmetry results in the total angular momentum being constant where × is the cross product. The three components of the total angular momentum yield three more constants of the motion. The
Zero-velocity surface Zero-velocity surface The zero-velocity surface is a concept that relates to the N-body problem of gravity. It represents a surface a body of given energy cannot cross, since it would have zero velocity on the surface. It was first introduced by George William Hill. The zero-velocity surface is particularly significant when working with weak gravitational interactions among orbiting bodies. In the circular restricted three-body problem two heavy masses orbit each other at constant radial distance and angular velocity, and a particle of negligible mass is affected by their gravity. By shifting to a rotating coordinate system where the masses are