  An important open question in cosmology is the degree to which the
Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) solutions of Einstein's equations
are able to model the large-scale behaviour of the locally inhomogeneous
observable universe. We investigate this problem by considering a range of
exact n-body solutions of Einstein's constraint equations. These solutions
contain discrete masses, and so allow arbitrarily large density contrasts to be
modelled. We restrict our study to regularly arranged distributions of masses
in topological 3-spheres. This has the benefit of allowing straightforward
comparisons to be made with FLRW solutions, as both spacetimes admit a discrete
group of symmetries. It also provides a time-symmetric hypersurface at the
moment of maximum expansion that allows the constraint equations to be solved
exactly. We find that when all the mass in the universe is condensed into a
small number of objects (<10) then the amount of backreaction in dust models
can be large, with O(1) deviations from the predictions of the corresponding
FLRW solutions. When the number of masses is large (>100), however, then our
measures of backreaction become small (<1%). This result does not rely on any
averaging procedures, which are notoriously hard to define uniquely in general
relativity, and so provides (to the best of our knowledge) the first exact and
unambiguous demonstration of backreaction in general relativistic cosmological
modelling. Discrete models such as these can therefore be used as laboratories
to test ideas about backreaction that could be applied in more complicated and
realistic settings.
