Does the universe go on forever?

[runesmithie]

Actually maybe once you get outside the universe you go into another universe.. sort of like this universe is a planet in a different universe.. man this topic reminds me of how insignificant and tiny we are as human beings lol

 

 

 

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Hitchhikers Guide! :lol:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They goto the edge of the universe and see their opposites staring at them :lol: :lol:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a Christian, I believe that God is going to come down, and take all of the believers up to heaven, then give the rest of the people a chance, and take the remainding believers and create a "new Earth". In a nutshell lol. For a more detailed, but very confusing explanation, please see the book of Revelation(A book in the Bible)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations? You went completely off topic.... you didn't even say the magic words (universe)

[chancelorb]

Ok, me I am a scifi person, imagen this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

planet > solar system > galaxy > universe > ? multiverse ? >

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and just on and on and on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I came up with multiverse cuz if there is a uni then there may be a multi.

 

 

 

I belive that even the most advanced race(s) wouldn't be able to reach then 'end' of what we call space. Hey maybe we are in a marble being played with by aliens... Perhaps you will just wind up where you started when you try to find the 'end'. LOL im getting a headache thinking about this to... For all we know, we are just a small part in a big alien science project, maybe the 'end' is just a small sphere or box or what ever in an alien world where there is no space? There are infinite possibilities. We haven't even mastered deep space (further than solar system) travel, let alone hyper space or warp drive lol. And we are trying to reach the 'end' already!

[goku_nazz]

Well.. that brings up the question

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is the universe spherical? Is it cubic? What is it?

[Mr_Putter]

I got a question. Assuming that you believe that the Big Bang occured, what was there before that? And where did that matter come from? And what was there before that?

[Ryan]

I got a question. Assuming that you believe that the Big Bang occured, what was there before that? And where did that matter come from? And what was there before that?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is probably more fitting in the ~10 page topic on creation vs. evolution

[runesmithie]

Well.. that brings up the question

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is the universe spherical? Is it cubic? What is it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My bet is on infinite :lol:

[Bmw]

Well, it depends on what you define the "end of the universe" as. Eventually, when you travel past all planets and other things, you will (probably) just see all black around you. How do you know if you are travelling forward? Maybe you're saying still after a certain point, who knows? You can't really tell at that point. Of course, well actually, not of course, because we don't know, but chances are there's no barrier or wall at the end of the universe :lol: Just imagine..coming to a point where you just hit a wall in the middle of nowhere, and you cant see it either. All black around you, and you just stop :lol:

[Purecheese]

I got a question. Assuming that you believe that the Big Bang occured, what was there before that? And where did that matter come from? And what was there before that?

That's the exact spot where science and logic fails. And thus the place where you get to prove that there is/was more then just science.

 

 

 

It doesn't mean that science fails. Science is there because it works. Because it does explain things. In that way it's just like a religion, a way to look at the world. We should always keep that in mind.

 

 

 

Claiming that the results of any scientific results corresponds one on one to reality is wrong. It's a model just like religion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The one difference between science and religion is that religion depends on believing. While science can only be correct if it seems to correspond to reality. The rules that define whether something has been scientifically proven are actually part of science. This means that you're using science to prove itself which is ofcourse wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway let's stay on-topic :P

[den160593]

Well the big bang theory says that it'll just keep getting bigger and bigger and then it'll start comming in on itself like when you throw a ball, it doesn't go forever it comes back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is as good an explanation as you'll get :lol: I thing :shock:

[typex]

i think that our universe ends....but out there, there are millions of more universe's just like ours....there are probably a cople thousand more planets just like earth.. :(

[kingkonk]

Its jsut one of those annoying questions, like what caused the big bang. It's rather pointless to ponder.

[AniseCookies]

Oh, and it doesnt go on forever. At the end of it, there's a really big brick wall, painted black.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hehehe, i thought it was more grey? :P

[ironfist]

Supposedly our universe exists on a membrane, alongside multiple (perhaps there's an infinite number of membranes, or in a circle) other membranes which collide causing 'big bangs'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supposing this is true, you still have the question where did the membranes come from which is rather upsetting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On these membranes, strings are supposed to be vibrating if I remember rightly which make up the building blocks of the building blocks of atoms. Which I can't really make sense of because a membrane is 2D and atoms exist in 3D.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another interesting question is, some people reckon there are more than 4 dimensions. This may very well be true, but I really do not like the explanation they give. I believe the thoery is that the dimensions are so small we cannot see them. Well no matter how small anything is, it still exists in normal 3D space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would prefer to think of multiple dimensions in this way:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our 3D space actually exists in 2D. This 2D object exists in another 3D world. This new world is actually 2D itself, which exists in another 3D world. Can you see where this is going?

[Bubsa]

If all this rational, irrational and complex thinking fails, we can always watch The Truman Show ;)

[assassin_696]

If you try and consider it like this: everything that there is, that has ever existed is within the universe. This, is pretty much what the universe is, EVERYTHING. There can't be anything outside the universe because that too would be in the universe. If the universe is continually expanding at a speed faster than is physically possible to travel then technically yes it does go on forever....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...much like my avatar 8)

[assassin_696]

Supposedly our universe exists on a membrane, alongside multiple (perhaps there's an infinite number of membranes, or in a circle) other membranes which collide causing 'big bangs'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supposing this is true, you still have the question where did the membranes come from which is rather upsetting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On these membranes, strings are supposed to be vibrating if I remember rightly which make up the building blocks of the building blocks of atoms. Which I can't really make sense of because a membrane is 2D and atoms exist in 3D.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another interesting question is, some people reckon there are more than 4 dimensions. This may very well be true, but I really do not like the explanation they give. I believe the thoery is that the dimensions are so small we cannot see them. Well no matter how small anything is, it still exists in normal 3D space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would prefer to think of multiple dimensions in this way:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our 3D space actually exists in 2D. This 2D object exists in another 3D world. This new world is actually 2D itself, which exists in another 3D world. Can you see where this is going?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh cabbage string theory...forgot about that. :(

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh well i'm not going into it, i watched a 1 hour program on it at 5:00 in the morning (don't ask) and still didn't fully understand it. Something to do with anything being theoretically but not necessarily reasonably possible. :? :? :?

[brooce]

Another interesting question is, some people reckon there are more than 4 dimensions. This may very well be true, but I really do not like the explanation they give. I believe the thoery is that the dimensions are so small we cannot see them. Well no matter how small anything is, it still exists in normal 3D space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would prefer to think of multiple dimensions in this way:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our 3D space actually exists in 2D. This 2D object exists in another 3D world. This new world is actually 2D itself, which exists in another 3D world. Can you see where this is going?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

well actually if there is a 6th dimension (or more) our minds would never conceive them... I can explain 2-d - 5-d.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2-d~ This is where things are completely flat with no depth, what so ever like a drawing. This is where itÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s just an image you canÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t touch it, smell it, or taste it... just see...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3-d~ This is what we live in, where things have 3 dimensions height, length, and depth. You may touch, smell, taste, and see.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4-d (3-d?) ~ Now I might be explaining 3-d on a different scale. Imagine a box. You are out side of the box, looking in. There is a line leading from a corner in the box and going to the exact opposite corner in the box. This is what I think is 4-d (again I might be wrong.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5-d (4-d?) ~ This is extremely hard to explain so bare with me. If you know what a worm hole is it could help (those are believed to be 4-d or 5-d.) Imagine you reach for a glass, and your hand disappears and u grab something else on the other side of the world, or I could have you do this.

 

 

 

Imagine a window just standing by itself. You can see through it and go through it, you see stuff inside it, but when you walk around to the other side there is nothing there, no window nothing. This sort of explains 5-d (or is it 4-d).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, that was 2-d through 5-d (maybe 4-d). I think.

[Timtimtimmay]

As a Christian, I believe that God is going to come down, and take all of the believers up to heaven, then give the rest of the people a chance, and take the remainding believers and create a "new Earth". In a nutshell lol. For a more detailed, but very confusing explanation, please see the book of Revelation(A book in the Bible)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HALLELUIA!!!... no, really

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

it is ever expanding...as of now. In theory, the big bang is still going on... Like if you drop a fock into the water...it keeps on going but everntually gets smaller. for our purposes, its actually getting slower, but that is a minor detail. The real question is will it ever stop expanding? Is that before or after the sun explodes...we are definatly going to blow ourselves up

[Pete_the_Viscous]

 

Well.. that brings up the question

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is the universe spherical? Is it cubic? What is it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My bet is on infinite :lol:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I imagine it's both infinite and spherical, which sound mutually exclusive, but if you think about it, if it's infinite, it's the same distance (infinity and beyond!) in all directions, which makes it a sphere, of sorts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edit:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's the exact spot where science and logic fails. And thus the place where you get to prove that there is/was more then just science.

 

 

 

It doesn't mean that science fails. Science is there because it works. Because it does explain things. In that way it's just like a religion, a way to look at the world. We should always keep that in mind.

 

 

 

Claiming that the results of any scientific results corresponds one on one to reality is wrong. It's a model just like religion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The one difference between science and religion is that religion depends on believing. While science can only be correct if it seems to correspond to reality. The rules that define whether something has been scientifically proven are actually part of science. This means that you're using science to prove itself which is ofcourse wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway let's stay on-topic :P

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The nice thing about science (and open minded religions), is that it (they) is (are...I'll stop that now) willing to admit when it is wrong. Hence, though science does not at the moment have any way of explaining the big bang--and so many other things--this is not because it's impossible: perhaps we just don't know how yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Therefore, while I do agree that those are the correct places for religion to stand in and do it's very respectable bit, it's not (necessarily) because logic and reason fall appart--it might be that something somewhere in the laws of phsyics is wrong. Let's face it--something, somewhere, IS wrong with physics; it has to be, or there wouldn't be problems like this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think, then, that science and religion complement each other very well in this sort of case, in that, while science provides practical, reasonable explanations for things close to home (most things--well, not most, but a lot, that can be "proved" (if you believe in proof and truth)), religion is the only thing that can explain things like the big bang (or rather, explain away the big bang); at least, until science catches up, at which point religion will deal with the next step and generally stop people going mad and give them things to think about. After all; we can all argue about religion*, even if we know nothing about it: all we need for that sort of argument is some belief.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So after saying that, I'm just going to admit that I don't know anything about string theory (and to be quite frank, I don't think anyone here, or in fact anywhere in the world does--it's just another explanation, after all; there's no reason to believe (in) it other than that it has been blathered all over the TV so much recently), the big bang, god/s, or anything else of that nature. Oh, and to bring me back on topic: I don't know anything about the universe, either--I've never been to most of it, and I'm not sure it exists at all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*though obviously not the finer points of a particular religion; I mean rather that people can say "I think it does," and "well I think it doesn't!"

[assassin_696]

 

 

 

 

4-d (3-d?) ~ Now I might be explaining 3-d on a different scale. Imagine a box. You are out side of the box, looking in. There is a line leading from a corner in the box and going to the exact opposite corner in the box. This is what I think is 4-d (again I might be wrong.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had always believed the fourth dimension to be time.

[Pete_the_Viscous]

 

 

 

 

 

4-d (3-d?) ~ Now I might be explaining 3-d on a different scale. Imagine a box. You are out side of the box, looking in. There is a line leading from a corner in the box and going to the exact opposite corner in the box. This is what I think is 4-d (again I might be wrong.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had always believed the fourth dimension to be time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What you were describing, whomsoever gave the example of the box (I can't tell who said what), is indeed 3 dimentions. If you have a box of dimentions 1 by 1 by 1, and draw a line from the bottom-front-left corner to the top-back-right corner (so across the box in all directions) it's going up by 1, back by 1 and right by 1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So had I, other person, but then I suppose it doesn't matter in what order they come; it might be the first dimention, for instance. So, inthe box example, add time and you have this: going up by 1 (and time increasing by 1), boing back by 1 (and time increasing by 1)... etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry if this is a double post. I might not be able to edit the other one away, either, as it's lagging a lot for me.

[Bourbons3]

the universe is getting larger, and could eventually be destroyed. this is becasue as the universe expands, planets and such get further apart. this means that there will be more dpace in between them so things will get colder. this could mean that things like our Sun could freeze up (thats if it hasnt already blown up like it will in 10million years).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the only way of stopping this, is if all the matter in the universe produces enough gravitational strength to stop the universe expanding. this would then casue it to get smaler and go into a small ball like it was before the big bang

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

either way, we're screwed lol. but it wont happen for millions, maybe billions of years so dont worry :wink:

[ItsClueless]

I guess we'll just have to live and guess...what if? Its sorta sad that I probably wont know any of the big discoveries that might take place in the far future.

[Celeste]

Wow..i'm even more confused.. bleh.. lets just say it goes on forever and ever.. and if we're wrong?.. oh well..

[trapical]

I would have to say the 4th dimension to be time. I'll get to that in a second but first look at the lyrics of the Galaxy song:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just - re-member that you're standing on a planet that's evolving

 

 

 

and revolving at 900 miles an hour,

 

 

 

It's orbiting at 19 miles a second, so it's reckoned,

 

 

 

the sun that is the source of all our power.

 

 

 

The Sun and you and me, and all the stars that we can see,

 

 

 

are moving at a million miles a day,

 

 

 

In the outer spiral arm, at 40,000 miles an hour,

 

 

 

of the Galaxy we call the Milky Way.

 

 

 

Our Galaxy itself contains 100 billion stars,

 

 

 

it's 100,000 light-years side-to-side,

 

 

 

It bulges in the middle, 16,000 light-years thick,

 

 

 

but out by us it's just 3000 light-years wide.

 

 

 

We're 30,000 light-years from galactic central point,

 

 

 

we go round every 200 million years,

 

 

 

And our galaxy is only one of millions of billions

 

 

 

in this amazing and expanding universe.

 

 

 

The universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding,

 

 

 

in all of the directions it can whizz,

 

 

 

As fast as it can go, at the speed of light you know,

 

 

 

twelve million miles a minute, and that's the fastest speed there is.

 

 

 

So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure,

 

 

 

how amazingly unlikely is your birth,

 

 

 

And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space,

 

 

 

because there's bugger all down here on Earth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just look at some of those mind boggling facts. Our Galaxy has 100 billion suns, it would take 100,000 years of light speed traveling to go across it, and ~16,000 years to go through it. That's insane. To top it off the universe has over a trillion galaxies :shock:

 

 

 

That's a lot of stars and a lot of things orbiting other things and moving apart from everything else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My point is, how do you describe the location of something in space? First off we will need its X coordinate (we have a point upon a line), then its y coordinate (now we have a plane), and then we need the z coordinate (now we have a point within a infinitely large cube, the universe). Still things are moving at insanely fast speeds, how can we accurate describe the location? Well, we use the 4th dimension: Time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exact Location of George Bush:

 

 

 

1st dimension - 38.90 degrees North

 

 

 

2nd dimension - 77.03 degrees West

 

 

 

3rd dimension - 423.92 feet above sea level

 

 

 

4th dimension - @ 6:23.03 GMT, Wednesday the 27th of July, 2005 A.D.