1D three-body problem (with spherical shell)

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on a system of two point particles and a spherical shell, with the goal of proving that the particle m1 remains at the center of the shell over time. The equations of motion for the particles are provided, indicating their accelerations based on gravitational interactions. Participants express uncertainty about the solvability of the differential equations governing the system and seek alternative methods for finding the positions of the masses as functions of time. The main objective is to demonstrate that the second derivatives of the positions of m1 and H are equal, confirming m1's stability within the shell. The complexity of the differential equations is acknowledged, suggesting a need for further exploration of potential solutions.
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Let's suppose that we have two point particles with masses m1,m2 and the spherical shell with mass M, placed in a line, at distances h1,h2 and H from 0 in that line (0 is the center of some inertial frame of reference). The initial conditions and the equations of motion are the following:

h_1(0)=H(0)=h_0

h_2(0)=0

h_1'(0)=h_2'(0)=H'(0)=0 (time derivative)

(the mass m1 is in the center of the spherical shell at time t=0, but I'm trying to prove that for every t)\frac{d^2h_1(t)}{dt^2}=-G\frac{m_2}{(h_1-h_2)^2}

\frac{d^2h_2(t)}{dt^2}=G\frac{m_1}{(h_1-h_2)^2}+G\frac{M}{(H-h_2)^2}

\frac{d^2H(t)}{dt^2}=-G\frac{m_2}{(H-h_2)^2}

Is there any way to solve this problem (to find the positions of the masses as functions of the time)?
 
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Αnyone? At least tell me if this problem is solvable or not.
It seems quiet easy but the system off differential equantions is hard to solve. Is there any other way to solve it?

Actually what i am trying to prove is \frac{d^2 h_1(t)}{dt^2}=\frac{d^2 H(t)}{dt^2} and that the mass m1 will remain in the center of spherical shell.
 
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