3 ms·
Since when is the universe finite?
by mseepgood 3y ago
Since when is the universe finite?
- krapp 3y agoThe Big Bang involved a finite amount of energy and created a finite amount of matter. New energy cannot be created. Therefore the universe is finite.
- Kranar 3y agoYou're kind of just making stuff up here. In particular the assertion that the big bang involved a finite amount of energy is entirely unfounded. It's not that your statement is false, but that there is absolutely no consensus on the matter. Some physicists make strong arguments that at the big bang the total energy of the universe was 0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-energy_universe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-energy_universe
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- dekhn 3y agoMost current models of the universe suggest that it occupies a volume and has a finite number of particles. But these are just models based on observations and constraints.
- Kranar 3y agoThere is no dispute that the observable universe is as you describe, but there is absolutely no consensus as to whether the universe is finite or infinite.
- krapp 3y agoThe observable universe is the universe, for all intents and purposes.
- Kranar 3y agoThat's not true in the context of big bang cosmology. It's true that today we would not be able to observe things beyond the observable universe by definition, and so there's not much purpose in reasoning beyond today's observable universe, but the observable universe changes over time and when reasoning about the early universe there would be differences between a finite universe and an infinite universe.