OT: What is the Universe Expanding into?

[Atrocities]

Think about this for a second and ask yourself what is the universe?

Is it expanding and if so what is it expanding into? Is the universe a ballon expanding into nothingness or is it a ballon expanding into something else like say another universe.

Think of it like a ballon being filled with N2 expanding in an oxygen atomsphere. The interior of the ballon does not know what lays beyon the universe of the interior of the ballon.

[Fyron]

It is expanding into the vastness of the infinite void of space surrounding the matter and energy of the universe. The universe itself is infinite and not changing in size. It is just the matter and energy portions of the universe that started moving out after the big bang that are expanding.

[Taz-in-Space]

The universe itself is infinite and not changing in size.

Hmmm, how do we know this? I thought that the truly infinite is unprovable mathematically.

Imagine a vast empty plain with a tiny ant somewhere near the center.
TO THAT ANT the plain MAY BE infinite, but a man might be able to get to the edge. It may just be that our perspective is too small - Temporally and Spacially.

[Fyron]

How could there be an edge to nothingness?

[Taz-in-Space]

How could there be an edge to nothingness?

Well, that is difficult to imagine I agree!

Using another analogy, why does the air on Earth NOT expand throughout the solar system? Because of gravity!! Perhaps there is a mechanism that will halt the expansion of the universe the same way. WE JUST DO NOT KNOW!!!

[Fyron]

I think you are confusing terminology... "the universe" includes everything, really. But, it is often used just in reference to the mass and energy of the universe that is expanding. Used to refer to everything, including the void that said mass and energy is expanding into, implies that the universe itself is incapable of changing size, as it is an infinite void.

If gravity were to cause the mass and energy of the universe to eventually start contracting again, the universe itself would still have that infinite sized void out there.

[ February 11, 2004, 02:59: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

[Taz-in-Space]

I just have an aVersion to the whole concept of infinity. No one has ever been able to point to anything and PROVEN that it is infinite. Even the value of pi is not PROVEN to be an infinitely non-repeating variable!

So since there is no proof of ANYTHING being infinite; using infinite to describe the 'empty void' outside our universe is pure quesswork.

For all we know, our 'universe' may be about to 'bump-up against another 'universe'!

[Phoenix-D]

How the !@%$ could you prove infinity? In the real world at least?

Here, I can now prove to you that something is infinite. Tell me any number. No matter how large that number will ALWAYS have a number larger than it and no matter how tiny it will always have another smaller.

[Renegade 13]

Simply put Atrocities, we DO NOT KNOW what lies outside the observable universe. And although there are some theories that some appear to accept, the very nature of the universe makes it impossible for us to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what is beyond what we can see.

By the way, you should have considered becoming an astronomer with all the cosmological questions you ask. Either that, or Subscribe to some reputable astronomy magazines. The articles can be quite interesting, and answered a lot of the questions I had about the nature of the universe. Of course, they also raised a lot more questions! But I guess that's how you acquire knowledge, by asking questions.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

infinite number? 1/3