[QUOTE=Herr Sven;21691393]Those are theories, we still don't know.
The first one: Quantum fluctuations is one possibility, two branes colliding (M-theory) is another, the big bounce of a previous verse (Cyclic model) is yet another.
Second: Heat death is one theory, but there are also theories that doesn't include heat death, like, for example, the cyclic model or Smolin's Fecund universes.[/QUOTE]
Well whatever happens, I hope it's the cycling universe thing. But if the universe ends in a heat Death, I also hope quantum fluctuations create a new one. Even though that might be highly unlikely.
This thread is informative!
[QUOTE=Herr Sven;21691275]What caused the big bang?
How will the universe end?
Are there more than one universe?
How shall we most efficiently combine general relativity and quantum mechanics?
What is the universal equation, and does it even exist?
Does infinity actually exist?
Is there life elswhere in the cosmos?
What is Dark matter and Dark energy?
Some questions that makes me want to study cosmology.[/QUOTE]
The first two were already done...
Combine GR and QM? That's the thing, normal physics seems to break down at an atomic level. Believe me, a unified theory that could successfully explain Quantum physics and large-scale physics without contradicting each other you would be well above Einstein in fame.
Universal equation? Never heard of that.
Infinity? Like an infinite or finite universe? Well, considering the universe is expanding faster than the speed of light, it is pretty impossible to exceed the universal bounds and find out. It's all moot.
Life in the cosmos? I can't say anything that hasn't already been said.
What is Dark matter and Dark energy? I made a thread on this, go check it out here.
[url]http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=928484[/url]
[QUOTE=Herr Sven;21691275]What caused the big bang?
How will the universe end?
Are there more than one universe?
How shall we most efficiently combine general relativity and quantum mechanics?
What is the universal equation, and does it even exist?
Does infinity actually exist?
Is there life elswhere in the cosmos?
What is Dark matter and Dark energy?
Some questions that makes me want to study cosmology.[/QUOTE]
1) Unknown
2) It either stops expanding and collapses: Big Crunch, expands forever: "No real end but for every lifeform" or expands faster and faster (still it won't "end" but it won't be friendly for life)
3) Could be
4) Many approaches on this exist. Quantisation of General Relativity resulted into unsolvable problems so other constructs arose (String Theory, Quantum Loop Theorie etc pp)
5) As mathematical concept: Yes
6) Can't be answered by now. But why not.
7) Dark Matter is the mysterious missing matter, which interacts gravitational and influences galaxies in that way to be stable but doesn't interact by e.g. electromagnetism so we can't see it. Dark Energy is the mysterious energy causing the Universe to expand faster and faster.
[editline]02:41PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=Eudoxia;21691468]Well whatever happens, I hope it's the cycling universe thing. But if the universe ends in a heat Death, I also hope quantum fluctuations create a new one. Even though that might be highly unlikely.[/QUOTE]
Even if it's a cyclic universe with many big bangs and crunches, all over entropy rises from big-bang/crunch to big-bang/crunch so heat-death will happen more or less later in that case.
There are also other hypothesis which describe a big rip (expansion suddenly becomes super fast in one moment ripping apart all matter) or big freeze (expansion suddenly stops, smashing everything). There are many hypothetical "end" cenarios (if you define "end" as "end of the matter we know")
Mystery of science:
Why do I get tired when drinking coffee?
[QUOTE=sltungle;21685364]Why is as much a valid question if the context is correct.
"Why does the current not split 50/50 across the parallel section of the circuit?"
"Because the voltage must remain constant across the section, but the resistance is different. Hence the current must also be different."
I get annoyed whenever everyone goes on this rant about the word 'why' being invalid in science. Without it your sentence's syntax may be fucked up beyond any comprehension.[/QUOTE]
I suppose I didn't get the point across very well. You have to be very careful how you word a question because asking "Why is the tree there?" is a VERY different question than "How did the tree get there?". In that scenario, the "why" is philosophical (because "why" implies there is a reason for the tree being there, perhaps implying some force put the tree there), and the "how" is science. That said, not every question is that simple...
Hell, looking from a religious perspective ironically makes this concept easier to explain. Asking "why does the universe exist?" gets the answer "Because God wanted to make it." Asking "how does the universe exist?" gets the answer "because God made it." Notice that while very similar, there are subtle differences in the answer that make the difference between "reason for being" and "method of creation/existence".
tl;dr Be careful how you word your question, as one way invites people to speculate on reasons/decisions while another leans towards speculation on the exact process/method.
What about those bacteria that breath metal?
Does anyone know why a pelican at the bay tried to eat my cell phone?
[QUOTE=Raxas;21692306]The first two were already done...
Combine GR and QM? That's the thing, normal physics seems to break down at an atomic level. Believe me, a unified theory that could successfully explain Quantum physics and large-scale physics without contradicting each other you would be well above Einstein in fame.
Universal equation? Never heard of that.
Infinity? Like an infinite or finite universe? Well, considering the universe is expanding faster than the speed of light, it is pretty impossible to exceed the universal bounds and find out. It's all moot.
Life in the cosmos? I can't say anything that hasn't already been said.
What is Dark matter and Dark energy? I made a thread on this, go check it out here.
[URL]http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=928484[/URL][/QUOTE]
It seems like you misunderstood me.
Everything you said are THEORIES, and that doesn't mean that they are true.
All of the questions I ask are those questions that scientists doesn't have any real answers to, only theories.
That's why I want to work with cosmology, so that we'll come closer to the real answers.
Oh and by the way:
[QUOTE]What is Dark matter and Dark energy? I made a thread on this, go check it out here.
[URL]http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=928484[/URL][/QUOTE]I've read this thread, and it still doesn't answer any questions that I didn't already "know" the answers to.
Fact is: scientists doesn't really know what dark matter/dark energy is.
[editline]05:27PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=FlakAttack;21692865]Hell, looking from a religious perspective ironically makes this concept easier to explain. Asking "why does the universe exist?" gets the answer "Because God wanted to make it." Asking "how does the universe exist?" gets the answer "because God made it." Notice that while very similar, there are subtle differences in the answer that make the difference between "reason for being" and "method of creation/existence".[/QUOTE]
Ah, yes. The easiest religious argument to answer.
If God created the universe, and nothing existed before God, then what created God?
Or shorter:
Who created the creator?
I always wondered [i]why[/i] a god would make a universe.
[editline]12:13PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=Herr Sven;21693367]It seems like you misunderstood me.
Everything you said are THEORIES, and that doesn't mean that they are true.
All of the questions I ask are those questions that scientists doesn't have any real answers to, only theories.
That's why I want to work with cosmology, so that we'll come closer to the real answers.[/QUOTE]
For the record, just about all of cosmology is theoretical, since it's virtually impossible to get 100% sure evidence for anything. At least, not now.
[QUOTE=Herr Sven;21693367]Fact is: scientists doesn't really know what dark matter/dark energy is.
[/QUOTE]
Well, yes, that's the definition of it. Dark matter/energy is at the moment needed to explain certain stuff in our current models of the universe, like that the gravity isn't strong enough to hold the galaxies together (simply said).
It's just a hypothetical form of matter (whatever that is) for now.
Time dilation would make an object traveling at the speed of light (in a vacuum) appear to an external observer to be frozen (aside from its motion), right? (causing photons to never age etc)
So a photon would observe everything else around it to be happening instantaneously, right?
What I'm struggling to grapple with here is why we observe light to have a finite speed, when time dilation at light speed makes everything either instantaneous or at a stand still (depending on relative perspective).
I get the feeling only aVon can answer this.
Added article on dark matter
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.
