Was the Universe was 'born in a big chill'

[supernova1965 (Warren)]

Interesting new theory from some Australian Scientists.


http://www.abc.net.au/science/articl...21/3572476.htm

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

Interesting.
Not sure I'm with them on this one though.

[Barrykgerdes]

Just another group looking for their day of notoriety

None of the theories can explain what was there before their idea of a "begining". No one understands infinity.

Barry

[bobson (Bob)]

None of the theories can explain what was there before their idea of a "begining". No one understands infinity.

Barry

Thats exactly what I was about to write. Infinity is so hard to understand and obviously many cant even begin to understand it.

[Astro_Bot]

It does sound a bit like they're hunting their 15 minutes of fame.

I'm no theoretical physicist or mathematician, but I think I grasp this:

Time didn't exist before the "big bang", or more exactly, before the point when the energy density was so high that all the forces were unified. Time was a product of breaking of symmetry as the universe expanded and cooled. So asking "what was there before" is meaningless as there was no "before". Similarly, asking what the universe is expanding into has no meaning because the expansion is an internal measure only with no reference to "outside". Of course, that's my imperfect interpretation.

Remember: The truth is, there is no spoon.

[supernova1965 (Warren)]

Originally Posted by Astro_Bot

Time was a product of breaking of symmetry as the universe expanded and cooled.
Remember: The truth is, there is no spoon.

Time is a human construct as far as I understand it therefore prior to our consciousness there was no before and no after either.

[bobson (Bob)]

Time didn't exist before the "big bang"

Like Barry said and I agree, moist people don't understand infinity. Most have need to have boundaries, borders, limits. To be able to measure, count, calculate. Fish in a pond think the whole world is just that pond and nothing beyond it. And that creature that feeds it must be God

[Tinderboxsky (Steve)]

For those interested in reading further on these topics I can recommend the book; A Universe from Nothing - "why there is something rather than nothing" by Lawrence M Krauss.
Lawrence Krauss is a theoretical physicist, who has spoken on, and written a number of books bringing together the emerging scientific advances in cosmology, quantum mechanics, relativity, quantum gravity, dark matter, dark energy, time, the Big Bang and our existence.
His arguments are compelling and comprehensive and does not require high levels of prior knowledge of the topics to understand his explanations. It certainly helps to inform the issues raised in this thread.
If you get the chance to hear him speak, gab the opportunity. I have heard him present on this topic - he definitely bridges the gap between science and popular culture.

Cheers

Steve.

[bojan]

Lawrence Krauss' lectures are widely available on Youtube.. just go there and type "Krauss"

[Astro_Bot]

Originally Posted by supernova1965

Time is a human construct as far as I understand it therefore prior to our consciousness there was no before and no after either.

No, time can be measured objectively. There are several accessible physics books that could explain that better than I. Your local libary might be a good place to start - it's free!

That's not to say that conscious perception of time doesn't vary - as I understand it, it does quite a lot - but that's more psychology/biology and less physics.

Originally Posted by Barrykgerdes

None of the theories can explain what was there before their idea of a "begining". No one understands infinity.

That reads like you're trying to say that there was something before the "big bang" and that modern theories can't say what it is ... and that it's wrapped up in understanding infinity. But modern theories don't need "before" and do encounter "infinity". That is, they don't need to explain "before their idea of a beginning".

Originally Posted by bobson

Infinity is so hard to understand and obviously many cant even begin to understand it.

I figure guys like Stephen Hawking, or even this mob, have a better grasp of it than any of us. Even though we're all taught in maths that infinity is "undefined", in this kind of physics, infinity is encountered regularly, and with considerable success. I'm not trying to suggest that its threatment is perfect (how would I know, right?) but physicists seem to be able to work with it on a regular basis and produce some brilliant results.

Originally Posted by bobson

Like Barry said and I agree ...

I'm not having a go at anyone.

[bobson (Bob)]

I'm not having a go at anyone.

I am not having a go at anyone either mate.

Big Bang is a theory, not a fact. If it was a fact then we wouldn't have this discussion. Its most accepted theory so far.

[GeoffW1 (Geoff)]

No need to stress out , better minds than ours are working on it