The Universe is Round

[PhysicsBurger]

This has absolutely no evidence supporting it in my head. Aside from the simple fact that pretty much everything we are aware of in this universe, is, in some fashion, circular.

 

Atoms, Cells, Planets, Solar Systems, Galaxies .... even dogs walk in circles before laying down. It just seems to be the most common pattern in the universe.

 

Those that thought they'd fall off the edge of the earth found themselves right back where they started.

 

My guess is the same will be the case with the universe.

 

Maybe its infinite. Maybe a circle that has no end, is infinity.

 

There's no up, and no down, and no end that can be found.

 

Just a hunch. I'll let the folks 5,000 years from now confirm or reject my theory.

 

-PB0

Edited February 4, 2012 by PhysicsBurger

[Tres Juicy]

...And that my leige is how we know the earth to be banana shaped...

[the tree]

Being finite and bound (that is, if you go far enough you get back where you started) is pretty much the accepted view. Of course there's the added complication that it's expanding as well. And while there are only two dimensions on the surface of the Earth, making it easy to conclude that it's finite and bound on both of them, with the universe as a whole we're talking 11 or something.

[thislilpiggy]

This has absolutely no evidence supporting it in my head. Aside from the simple fact that pretty much everything we are aware of in this universe, is, in some fashion, circular.

 

Atoms, Cells, Planets, Solar Systems, Galaxies .... even dogs walk in circles before laying down. It just seems to be the most common pattern in the universe.

 

Those that thought they'd fall off the edge of the earth found themselves right back where they started.

 

My guess is the same will be the case with the universe.

 

Maybe its infinite. Maybe a circle that has no end, is infinity.

 

There's no up, and no down, and no end that can be found.

 

Just a hunch. I'll let the folks 5,000 years from now confirm or reject my theory.

 

-PB0

 

I believe it is because of the way galaxies expand away from where the creation event happened. It expands in a sphere, so the universe should look like a sphere.

 

 

 

[zapatos]

I believe it is because of the way galaxies expand away from where the creation event happened. It expands in a sphere, so the universe should look like a sphere.

Galaxies do not expand away from the 'creation event'. They expand equally away from each other.

 

Well, it's more complicated than that, but it's a much better way to say it in only one line.

 

The metric expansion of space is the increase of distance with time between distant parts of the universe. It is an intrinsic expansion—that is, it is defined by the relative separation of parts of the universe and not by motion "outward" into preexisting space. The universe is not expanding "into" anything outside of itself. A frequently used analogy is the expansion of the surface of an expanding rubber balloon. In this analogy the universe has two spatial dimensions (the surface of the balloon) rather than three. As the balloon expands, any two points on its surface get farther and farther apart. Another common analogy is a rising loaf of raisin bread—as the loaf expands, the raisins inside it move farther and farther apart from each other.

 

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

[thislilpiggy]

i see... much obliged, but i do believe the universe is round, or circular, or at least an oval. Regardless, i'm pretty sure that it's some sort of circle-like shape

[zapatos]

i see... much obliged, but i do believe the universe is round, or circular, or at least an oval. Regardless, i'm pretty sure that it's some sort of circle-like shape

You are welcome.

 

What evidence are you basing that on?

[DrRocket]

This has absolutely no evidence supporting it in my head. Aside from the simple fact that pretty much everything we are aware of in this universe, is, in some fashion, circular.

 

Atoms, Cells, Planets, Solar Systems, Galaxies .... even dogs walk in circles before laying down. It just seems to be the most common pattern in the universe.

 

Those that thought they'd fall off the edge of the earth found themselves right back where they started.

 

My guess is the same will be the case with the universe.

 

Maybe its infinite. Maybe a circle that has no end, is infinity.

 

There's no up, and no down, and no end that can be found.

 

Just a hunch. I'll let the folks 5,000 years from now confirm or reject my theory.

 

-PB0

 

One of the possible models for space (not spacetime) in cosmological theories based on general relativity is a 3-sphere.

 

Absolutely no one knows if that is actually the case or not. If it is the case, the sphere is extremely large.