Probably a dumb question ...

from someone with an interest but no education in this area.
If the universe is expanding, doesn't that mean that there is a boundary to
what scientists define as the universe? If yes, what's on the other side?

In article ,
Zilva Zanga wrote:
from someone with an interest but no education in this area.
If the universe is expanding, doesn't that mean that there is a boundary to
what scientists define as the universe? If yes, what's on the other side?

Since the universe is "everything that is, everything that was and
everything that will be", if there's anything "on the other side" then
that too belongs to the universe. Thus there cannot be any "other side"
outside the universe.





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e-mail: pausch at stockholm dot bostream dot se
WWW: http://stjarnhimlen.se/

"Zilva Zanga" wrote in message
...
from someone with an interest but no education in this area.
If the universe is expanding, doesn't that mean that there is a boundary
to what scientists define as the universe? If yes, what's on the other
side?
A kid on a key board marvelling at how life like we are.

Yes, there is a boundary, on one side of which is everything that is
measurable and part of our universe and on the other "side" is that
which is not measurable and not part of our universe. The boundary is
present everywhere at the smallest scale. Our universe - physical
reality - is also part of this outside, an "area" if you like of
special conditions in this Nothingness, which is spiritual reality
(i.e. God). The interaction between both sides of the boundary is
spiritual.
But no, the universe is not expanding - that is merely an
interpretation of a fact (the redshift), not a fact itself.

"peter" wrote in message
u...

"Zilva Zanga" wrote in message
...
from someone with an interest but no education in this area.
If the universe is expanding, doesn't that mean that there is a boundary
to what scientists define as the universe? If yes, what's on the other
side?
A kid on a key board marvelling at how life like we are.



So you don't know either.

"Zilva Zanga" wrote in message
...

[Probably a dumb question ...]
from someone with an interest but no education in this area.
If the universe is expanding, doesn't that mean that there is a boundary
to what scientists define as the universe? If yes, what's on the other
side?

It is unlikely. There are two possibilities, one
is that the universe has infinite volume ("open")
while the other is that it wraps round on itself
like the old arcade game "asteroids", only in all
three directions, and has a finite volume ("closed").
What we can be fairly sure of is that, if it is
finite, the size is much bigger than the part we can
see so telling the difference is going to be really
difficult.

Image a sheet of paper with a sprinkling of dots
representing galactic clusters at some time. If you
put it through a photocopier set for 10% magnification
you get a map of where they will be some time later.
It doesn't matter if that sheet is just a tiny section
out of an infinite universe, the rest is doing the same.
Since an infinite space has no boundaries, there is
nothing to prevent it expanding.

If you are new to all this, have a read of Ned Wright's
tutorial and bookmark it, some will be over your head
but if you read a bit more on the subject, it is a good
site to use for reference:

http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~wright/cosmolog.htm

HTH
George

Dear Zilva Zanga:

"Zilva Zanga" wrote in message
...
from someone with an interest but no education in this area.
If the universe is expanding, doesn't that mean that there is
a boundary to what scientists define as the universe?

There is no boundary. Sometimes the balloon model is used to
describe inflation, and substitutes a 2D+t analogy for 3D+t
spacetime. At any instant (a certain radius for the balloon),
you are free to be anywhere on the surface of the balloon.
Neglecting the filler neck, everywhere accessible to everywhere
else on the balloon... no boundary. Inward, is where you came
from, so there is no boundary there (except that you can't go
back). Outward is where you are going to, so "same song second
verse".

If yes, what's on the other side?

I'd vote for cream cheese and warm bagels. Of course, I am on a
diet...

David A. Smith

"Zilva Zanga" ha scritto nel messaggio
...
from someone with an interest but no education in this area.
If the universe is expanding, doesn't that mean that there is a boundary
to
what scientists define as the universe? If yes, what's on the other side?

Being the whole universe a huge computer simulation the question has no
answer.
After my death I'll ask the Big Programmers, if they think I'm so
interesting, as a sim, to live in another computer simulation...
If not, they simply will turn off my qbit soul.
Sounds a bit unlikely, but who knows?
Maybe also the pawns on my chessboard think they're fighting a real war...

Luigi Caselli

"dirkbontes" wrote in message
oups.com...
Yes, there is a boundary, on one side of which is everything that is
measurable and part of our universe and on the other "side" is that
which is not measurable and not part of our universe. The boundary is
present everywhere at the smallest scale. Our universe - physical
reality - is also part of this outside, an "area" if you like of
special conditions in this Nothingness, which is spiritual reality
(i.e. God). The interaction between both sides of the boundary is
spiritual.
But no, the universe is not expanding - that is merely an
interpretation of a fact (the redshift), not a fact itself.


Well, that load of crap deserves treatment in
the manner that all such effluent deserves.

*plonk*
*flush*

Who is Greg Neill?