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March 08, 2013

How Big is the Universe?

Posted by S. Abbas Raza at 11:17 PM | Permalink

Comments

The infinite universe is expanding. Wow, that's the biggest deal i've ever heard about. I think, it is and it is not. Take a look into yourself and you will see, that in your universe things are expanding and collapsing same time. What we take as real, is what we are aware about. Another definition of [God]* is

THE UNMOVED MOVER

* That what you really are.

Posted by: Lendh | Mar 9, 2013 8:19:10 AM

Questions.

Wouldn’t the concept of an infinite universe preclude the theory of the Big Bang? If our universe began with the Big Bang, then wasn’t all of our universe contained within the point (no matter what size that point was) that exploded? Our universe would then be contained within the explosion as it expands out into that which was outside the point before the explosion. Or was there nothing outside that point, and if so, how would we know this?

If the universe is infinite, then how could it be expanding? Isn’t to expand to encroach into or onto something else? Wouldn’t this something else mark the limit of the universe?

Or is it that the Big Bang was not the origin of the universe, but simply the origin of all the objects and forces within the universe as these objects and forces now expand into the universe which was preexistent?

Seems to me that infinite is one of those words we use when what we are contemplating goes beyond our capacity to understand similar to when people use those “infinite” words like omnipotent or omniscient to describe God and thereby believe they are saying something, but actually are not.

Posted by: REFoster | Mar 9, 2013 10:02:43 AM

"Our universe would then be contained within the explosion as it expands out into that which was outside the point before the explosion. Or was there nothing outside that point, and if so, how would we know this?"
my understanding is that the universe is not expanding out into empty space. its expansion is the creation of new space.

in this video, by infinite they seem to mean lacking an edge. it's not like an explosion advancing out from a center point. every point in the universe is the center, and every point in the universe is getting further away from every other point. kind of like if the universe were just the surface of a balloon. as it expands, each point on the surface gets further away from every other point, and more space is created on the surface. but there is no center and there is no limit.

Posted by: Chris | Mar 9, 2013 2:09:45 PM


This is all so fascinating. Personally, I like Roger Penrose's theory on an eternal cosmic oscillation that is a reset and it begins all over again. But, what do I know. Interesting thing is that his theory is testable.

When my kids were toddlers, I would ask them, "How big?" The answer was, "Soooo big!"

Posted by: Norman Costa | Mar 9, 2013 11:08:01 PM

Actually, when scientists and mathematicians use the term "infinite," they have a very precise meaning in mind (actually, a number of meanings), and they know exactly what they are talking about. They don't use it to mean something that "goes beyond their capacity to understand, like 'omnipotent' or 'omniscient' or 'God.'"

The rest of us would be well advised to study carefully what they mean before we start exhibiting our ignorance.

Posted by: JonJ | Mar 10, 2013 2:17:21 PM

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