Your criticism that Alpha Centauri isn’t actually a three-body system and instead operates as a binary star system with another nearby star is palpably anal retentive. Liu takes a small liberty to create a difference between his fictional world and the actual world that’s still clearly well within the laws of physics. That difference creates a cool situation wherein a tough problem in physics serves as the backdrop for an alien situation. He describes the three-body problem accurately and doesn’t just use it as window-dressing. Yet you fault him for this smart inclusion. Poor take.
Your criticism that Alpha Centauri isn’t actually a three-body system and instead operates as a binary star system with another nearby star is palpably anal retentive. Liu takes a small liberty to create a difference between his fictional world and the actual world that’s still clearly well within the laws of physics. That difference creates a cool situation wherein a tough problem in physics serves as the backdrop for an alien situation. He describes the three-body problem accurately and doesn’t just use it as window-dressing. Yet you fault him for this smart inclusion. Poor take.