The Universe

[Nena]

This thread is to discuss the Universe in general and its origins in particular. Please keep your discussion scientific and not religious. Personal religious beliefs will obviously shape the way each of us thinks about the universe, but this is not the place to debate them! This doesn't mean you can't acknowledge your beliefs, but we don't want this turning into a discussion of religion.

[debussygirl]

So, ummm, first post so be nice to me, I think I know what this is about. What always baffles me about the universe is that it never begins or ends. How is that even possible? And is there really nothing out there, because everything is something, there can't be nothing.
Hope that's the kind of stuff this thread is for.

[aimee_xbella]

So, ummm, first post so be nice to me, I think I know what this is about. What always baffles me about the universe is that it never begins or ends. How is that even possible? And is there really nothing out there, because everything is something, there can't be nothing.
Hope that's the kind of stuff this thread is for.

Well there are theories about how the universe began and how it will end. The big bang theory is the most popular, basically what it means is that the universe began as a intense, hot state, I'm not sure if it was like just a ball of fire or something? And then it expanded and then all the galaxies formed and stars, planets, etc. It is still expanding today, and there's another theory about how the universe will end, it's called the big crunch. And it means that someday in the very distant future, the universe will eventually stop expanding and then collapses onto itself. Then the big bang starts again, then big crunch until infinity.

[StupidxLamb]

Then there's God.

[aimee_xbella]

Then there's God.

Lol, when in doubt, there's God.

[debussygirl]

Then there's God.

Yes, I agree with that one!

[alellie]

Then there's God.

Hahaha, agree with you there!

I bet with all the technology man can think of, no one will ever reach the ends of the universe.

[CéliAmbre]

Thanks, Nena, you're efficient as always, thats what I wanted =)

So: It seems that the universe is endless (and no, I can just not picture it in my head, it seems so impossible, though I think it's true, because if it's not endless, there must be a wall or something somewhere, and what is behind that wall?), but I was at a speech about the number pie just yesterday, and the mathematician said that with pie, you can caluculate the size of the universe. but how? i mean, if it's endless, you have calculated the size just by doing this little 8 laying on it's side... and my math teacher also said that although the universe is endless, there must be an unrational, so un-endless, number of stars, which makes sence, in a way, but those two pieces of information can't fit into my head at once...
What else? I heard that the universe is a cycle, i.e. that some day, there will be another big bang, and everything will star over again, and this will happen...well, endless times. does anyone know a bit about this?

what else? a bit different this time. is time relevant? is a minute always the same length? what does it depend on? speed, our brains...??

Or this is rocking cool, my maths teacher explained it to me: colours don't really exist. i knew this about sounds, that before the vibrations hit you brain (well you get what i mean) there is no actual sound, just vibrations. bu now he told me that it's the same about colours: they're only in your head. it's freaky, and I can't really explain it right.
there is a lot more though =) i will come back to it, now i have to go. i hope everyone will make good contributions to this thread, without having arguments like "God does exist!" and "he does not!"

[Goodnight Elizabeth]

CéliAmbre: This is a wonderful topic, and if you were the one who suggested it - kudos to you! I've pondered these same things for many number of years.

As for colors, no, we do not see them. Instead, we see the amount of light hitting an object. Everything is black at night because of the absence of light. Out in the bright sunlight, everything appears white because there's too much light. All the colors in between are made through varying amounts of light exposure. This one made such an impact on me in 9th grade. I just couldn't wrap my mind around it then. Now that I'm older, it makes sense.

I love watching the shows on Discovery Science and National Geographic that pertain to the making or ending of our world. It's extremely fascinating. I have had such a love for earth science since I was very young reading my Childcraft Encyclopedias.

i hope everyone will make good contributions to this thread, without having arguments like "God does exist!" and "he does not!"

Exactly! Those aren't really arguments anyway. They are statements. Statements aren't arguments.

I plan to visit this topic again very soon. *squee*

[aimee_xbella]

Thanks, Nena, you're efficient as always, thats what I wanted =)

So: It seems that the universe is endless (and no, I can just not picture it in my head, it seems so impossible, though I think it's true, because if it's not endless, there must be a wall or something somewhere, and what is behind that wall?), but I was at a speech about the number pie just yesterday, and the mathematician said that with pie, you can caluculate the size of the universe. but how? i mean, if it's endless, you have calculated the size just by doing this little 8 laying on it's side... and my math teacher also said that although the universe is endless, there must be an unrational, so un-endless, number of stars, which makes sence, in a way, but those two pieces of information can't fit into my head at once...
What else? I heard that the universe is a cycle, i.e. that some day, there will be another big bang, and everything will star over again, and this will happen...well, endless times. does anyone know a bit about this?

what else? a bit different this time. is time relevant? is a minute always the same length? what does it depend on? speed, our brains...??

Or this is rocking cool, my maths teacher explained it to me: colours don't really exist. i knew this about sounds, that before the vibrations hit you brain (well you get what i mean) there is no actual sound, just vibrations. bu now he told me that it's the same about colours: they're only in your head. it's freaky, and I can't really explain it right.
there is a lot more though =) i will come back to it, now i have to go. i hope everyone will make good contributions to this thread, without having arguments like "God does exist!" and "he does not!"

Hmm.. you bring up many good points! I have always wondered like if the universe does expand, what is it expanding into you know? Like what is outside of the universe, or what is containing it? I don't think that human brains aren't capable of comprehending infinity, or it's really hard to. Time, I think is just measurement. On Earth, time is depended on the Earth's revolution and rotation, it also keeps our lives in order. But maybe in another place in this universe with life, maybe they have a complete different system of time, maybe it doesn't even matter to them. I don't think any other animals on Earth acknowledges time, they probably recognize day and night etc. But it is an interesting question to ponder over.

And if you really think about it, most adjectives are depended on relevance, like if a paperclip is the only thing in the universe, you can't say that it's small or big because there is nothing bigger than it or smaller than it. And everything depends on everything else.

And really, God has nothing to do with this forum .