Is empty space infinite?

This is a serious question. Im not trying to be a troll. What is the latest
thinking on the scope of the universe? Does empty space really go on for ever
and ever (infinity)? The thought of it makes me feel very strange.

KlingvilleBill wrote:

This is a serious question. Im not trying to be a troll. What is the latest
thinking on the scope of the universe? Does empty space really go on for ever
and ever (infinity)? The thought of it makes me feel very strange.


See Ned Wright's Cosmology Tutorial
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~wright/cosmolog.htm
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~wright/cosmology_faq.html

WMAP: Foundations of the Big Bang theory
http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/m_uni.html

WMAP: Tests of Big Bang Cosmology
http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/m_uni/uni_101bbtest.html

"KlingvilleBill" wrote in message
...
This is a serious question. Im not trying to be a troll. What is the
latest
thinking on the scope of the universe?

the scope of the universe? for me that is a 10" equatorial newt at this
moment. ymmv!
:-)

KlingvilleBill wrote:
This is a serious question. Im not trying to be a troll. What is the
latest thinking on the scope of the universe? Does empty space really
go on for ever and ever (infinity)? The thought of it makes me feel
very strange.

This is a serious answer. Would space be empty if it didn't go on for ever?
Would the thought of a wall a few million/billion lightyears away make you
feel any better? What would be behind that wall (authentic question asked to
me by my daughter, 10 years old).

Clear skies
Carsten A. Arnholm
http://home.online.no/~arnholm/astro/astro.htm
N59.776 E10.457

From: "Carsten A. Arnholm"

Would the thought of a wall a few million/billion lightyears away make you
feel any better? What would be behind that wall (authentic question asked to
me by my daughter, 10 years old).

I did think of that possibility. Rather than a wall, i imagined that out
there a trillion light years is a solid mass that goes on forever and that our
known universe is just a bubble of empty space in that infinite solid mass. And
that the big bang isnt a "bang' so much as this solid mass is pulling the
galaxies toward it.

Only in blonds.

KlingvilleBill wrote:
From: "Carsten A. Arnholm"

Would the thought of a wall a few million/billion lightyears away
make you feel any better? What would be behind that wall (authentic
question asked to me by my daughter, 10 years old).

I did think of that possibility. Rather than a wall, i imagined
that out there a trillion light years is a solid mass that goes on
forever and that our known universe is just a bubble of empty space
in that infinite solid mass.

You are solving the problem of accepting empty space going on forever by
replacing it with a "one sided wall" at some arbitrary location "far enough"
away where a solid mass continues forever instead? Where is the significant
conceptual improvement? In fact it adds complexity and solves nothing wrt.
to the problem of accepting space going on forever.

And that the big bang isnt a "bang' so
much as this solid mass is pulling the galaxies toward it.

If we are inside this hypothetical bubble, there is infinite solid mass in
all directions. There is no reason why the galaxies inside the hypothetical
bubble should be subject to large scale gravitational pull in any direction.
Even if this bubble is ~20 billion light years in radius, it is infinitely
small compared to infinity. The resulting large scale gravitational pull
should be zero everywhere.

I think :-)

--
Carsten A. Arnholm
http://home.online.no/~arnholm/astro/astro.htm
N59.776 E10.457

First off, the Big Bang created space, so no, space only exists in the
region of the Big Bang. Defining the region of the Big Bang is a
philosophical problem; how can you have a region that doesn't have any
space?

Second, given the Inflationary Theory of the Big Bang, the actual universe
is far larger than the observable universe. The observable universe is
roughly 14B light years in radius, but given that this perception is
independent of your location in the observable universe, the actual universe
must be far larger. You see, an observer 5B light years from us would also
see a 14B ly universe, implying that the universe is at least 19B ly, but
then an observer another 5 B ly from that observer would see a 14B ly
universe, implying that the universe is at least 24B ly, but then an
observer another 5 B ly from that observer . . . ad infinitum.

I wonder, does Inflation give a limit on how much bigger than cT the
universe actually got by 10^-36 sec?

Having fun,
Frank

"KlingvilleBill" wrote in message
...
This is a serious question. Im not trying to be a troll. What is the
latest
thinking on the scope of the universe? Does empty space really go on for
ever
and ever (infinity)? The thought of it makes me feel very strange.

"Frank Bov" wrote in message
...
First off, the Big Bang created space, so no, space only exists in the
region of the Big Bang. Defining the region of the Big Bang is a
philosophical problem; how can you have a region that doesn't have any
space?

region? what is that? never saw "region" defined in physics.

Second, given the Inflationary Theory of the Big Bang, the actual universe
is far larger than the observable universe.

according to that _theory_.

The observable universe is
roughly 14B light years in radius, but given that this perception is
independent of your location in the observable universe,
the actual universe
must be far larger.

why? can you explain this (I think not, as it is not true)

You see, an observer 5B light years from us would also
see a 14B ly universe, implying that the universe is at least 19B ly, but
then an observer another 5 B ly from that observer would see a 14B ly
universe, implying that the universe is at least 24B ly, but then an
observer another 5 B ly from that observer . . . ad infinitum.

no. think about living on a sphere (like we all do). the same argument is
valid: we can all see around us with a horizon say 10 km away, does that
mean the earth is infinite?

"variable magnitude" wrote in message
...

"Frank Bov" wrote in message
...
First off, the Big Bang created space, so no, space only exists in the
region of the Big Bang. Defining the region of the Big Bang is a
philosophical problem; how can you have a region that doesn't have any
space?

region? what is that? never saw "region" defined in physics.

Second, given the Inflationary Theory of the Big Bang, the actual
universe
is far larger than the observable universe.

according to that _theory_.

The observable universe is
roughly 14B light years in radius, but given that this perception is
independent of your location in the observable universe,
the actual universe
must be far larger.

why? can you explain this (I think not, as it is not true)

You see, an observer 5B light years from us would also
see a 14B ly universe, implying that the universe is at least 19B ly,
but
then an observer another 5 B ly from that observer would see a 14B ly
universe, implying that the universe is at least 24B ly, but then an
observer another 5 B ly from that observer . . . ad infinitum.

no. think about living on a sphere (like we all do). the same argument is
valid: we can all see around us with a horizon say 10 km away, does that
mean the earth is infinite?


I am no expert on this one but I don't like this sort of argument simply
because you are rebutting without valid argument of your own. All you have
said is simple statement without supporting argument.

Your claims a

1. There is no region defined in physics.
Does that mean that no definition is non-existence

2. What's the other story that says about the size of universe?

3. Why do you think actual universe is not larger than we can observe?
You are saying it's not true then what is the truth

4. We know as a fact that the earth is not infinite.
You presuppose the fact we already know.
What is the fact you already know about universe regarding the size of
it?

I don't have any intention to inflame you but I really want you to enlighten
us with your theories and facts other than 10" equatorial newt.

Please don't say that anyone doesn't knows anything about the size so you
don't know.

Regards