Universe and Continuum?

[rigney]

Is there such a thing as a "Continuum" in relationship to our universe? I've read that before the universe began, there was absolutely nothing. Having went through a myriad of text and the profundity of great men, I'm still under qualified, totally lost and amazed by everything I read. Are the continuum and universe the same thing, two entirely different entities, or does the continuum exist at all? While I do have my thoughts on the subject, it would be nice looking at some plausible answers from some other corner??

[Spyman]

"The Big Bounce is a theorized scientific model related to the formation of the known Universe. It derives from the cyclic model or oscillatory universe interpretation of the Big Bang where the first cosmological event was the result of the collapse of a previous universe."

 

"According to some oscillatory universe theorists, the Big Bang was simply the beginning of a period of expansion that followed a period of contraction. In this view, one could talk of a Big Crunch followed by a Big Bang, or more simply, a Big Bounce."

 

"One of the main problems with the Big Bang theory is that at the moment of the Big Bang, there is a singularity of zero volume and infinite energy. This is normally interpreted as the end of the physics as we know it; in this case, of the theory of general relativity. This is why one expects quantum effects to become important and avoid the singularity.

 

However, research in loop quantum cosmology purported to show that a previously existing universe collapsed, not to the point of singularity, but to a point before that where the quantum effects of gravity become so strongly repulsive that the universe rebounds back out, forming a new branch. Throughout this collapse and bounce, the evolution is unitary."

 

"This work is still in its early stages and very speculative."

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bounce

[rigney]

Thanks. Your explination is justified and I do appreciate it. But, is there a "Continuum" beyond or exponentially surrounding our universe?

[Spyman]

The current model of Big Bang and expanding space does not include any "Continuum" that surrounds the Universe, allowing it to expand into something. The expansion is thought to be internal, it is like a scale factor changing the distance between the meter marks on the ruler.

 

"Into what space is the universe expanding?

Over time, the universe is expanding in space. The words 'space' and 'universe', sometimes used interchangeably, have distinct meanings in this context. Here 'space' is a mathematical concept and 'universe' refers to all the matter and energy that exist. The expansion is in reference to internal dimensions only.

 

Finite space theory does not suppose space has an edge, but rather that space wraps around on itself. If it were possible to travel the entire length of space without going faster than light, one would simply end up back in the same place, not unlike going all the way around the surface of the balloon (or a planet like the Earth).

 

The notion of more space is local, not global; we do not know how much space there is in total. The embedding diagram has been arbitrarily cut off a few billion years past the Earth and the quasar, but it could be extended indefinitely, even infinitely, provided we imagine it as curling into a spiral of constant radius rather than a circle. Even if the overall spatial extent is infinite we still say that space is expanding because, locally, the characteristic distance between objects is increasing."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_expansion_of_space

 

You should also read this article: "Misconceptions about the big bang".

[rigney]

Thanks Spyman. "Deep", is the only word I can use to reply with. And I will read the "misconception thing". Gotta blame it on the Einsteins though. If it weren't for guys like him and Hawking, I could still be justified in believing the turtles legs reach the rest of the way down.

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Merged post follows:

Consecutive posts merged

Just went there and read it, the misconception thing. Not entirely, but several excerpts.

I'm just thankful that "not being" a Physicist has perhaps saved what little rationale I do possess. How these guys can come up with such ideas, I will never understand. That our entire universe could have been spawned from less than a thought, is beyond me, unless there is something deeper than what is imaginable? Personally, I don't believe in the Big Bang "as such" either. While I do believe at some point in time there was a beginning and recurring cycles to this universe, I believe it is impervious to an ending. Thanks again.

Edited June 1, 2010 by rigney
Consecutive posts merged.