How do we know that the universe came from the Big Bang?

Question

Why do we believe that it is the source of everything we see?

Answer 1

That's a rather complicated question. One that could be approached from either the philosophy of science angle, or the cosmology angle. Either one is far too complicated to fully explore in the context of yahoo answers.

In short: The evidence for the Big Bang is many fold, but the most commonly cited are the time-reversability of relativity, universal red-shift - indicating that everything in the universe is moving away from everything else, and cosmic background radiation (the temperature of which, was predicted exactly by cosmologists using the Big Bang as an explanatory model).

On the other hand, the question of why we trust science, even though we haven't done the experiments ourselves? Essentially, this boils down to two things: Science gets results, the computer you use to read this is demonstration of that and secondly, that if you so desired you could learn the required information and confirm the findings for yourself.

@Victor ious: It's hilarious that you rubbish Big Bang cosmology, when clearly you have no understanding of it, or science in general. What is wrong with you, what kind of mentality leads someone who plainly lacks even a passing familiarity with the subject to believe they can speak authoritively?

First of all, your first sentence makes no sense 'a[n] "hypothetical" science'? What does that even mean? Well, it's plain you mean to question its veracity, but good grief, you need to work upon your exposition. You say "The Big Bang is a theory", so what? Do you even know how science uses the word theory? It is not used to indicate uncertainty, but to indicate a well-founded explanatory model which has enjoyed considerable predictive success. Not only that, in science, nothing gets better than theory, it's the top run of the ladder. And what's up with the "so-called, Big Bang" comment - you have a better name for it? Do you even realise that the name was originally a perjorative which just happened to stick? What was your point?

But to get to the real meat of it all, you're clearly so ignorant of what Big Bang consmology entails it's hilarious. The Big Bang doesn't postulate ANY elements coming together to cause the Big Bang, certainly no space debris, and two massive rocks is entirely absurd. Foremost, the Big Bang was not an explosion of matter, but the expansion, the unfolding of the dimensions of the universe - space and time. Matter doesn't appear until some time into the history of the universe, during a period called coalescence, where matter was "distilled" from the massive amounts of energy throughout the then much smaller and hotter universe.

In addition to which, Big Bang cosmology in no way posits that something came from nothing, at every moment in time, back to t=0 the universe existed in some form (as t approaches 0 the universe approaches a singularity). But even if it did? So what? Creation is worse! To argue that the universe had to come from nothing is no different to God coming from nothing. The fact that you think the latter is acceptable is simply special pleading, which is a logical fallacy and is less parsimonious than the naturalistic explanation.

Answer 2

The Big Bang is a theory - a "hypothetical" science and is far from being proven. The science and theory of Creation has just as much if not more validity to it than the so called, Big Bang.

To explain the big bang you have to keep going back and back and back to explain how elements came together to cause the big bang. Like how where these massive two rocks that collided formed? Where did this material come from? What forces caused the space debris to bind together, layer upon layer? Where did these space debris come from? and the questions have to keep going back until you realize SOMETHING had to just appear out of nowhere to even exist.

Answer 3

Riiiiiight...all you fundamentalist just think that some scientist somewhere just DREAMED UP the idea of a big band, said, Oh, that sounds nice, and they put it in the textbooks? HELLO, unlike your faith-based system of viewing the world, SCIENCE works from EVIDENCE. If there was no evidence for a Big Bang (and I mean a lot of good evidence), we wouldn't call it a theory, now, would we? Unless everybody here is too clueless to know what a theory really means.

If you want to know what the evidence is, look it up in an encyclopedia, go to NASA, take an astronomy class. If you're not ambitious enough to do that, and would prefer to just wink and nod and say, Oh, they want us to take it on faith, then I can't help you. I don't know if even your God can help you.

Answer 4

We don't, just like we don't know that this whole setup was created in 7 days with 2 lilly white people popping out of the dust because some mythical being blew on it. Either one requires faith, they just have different sources. Since none of the actual writers of either version were around to see it acually start, I highly doubt that anyone will know the answer during their lifetime. After all, how do we know we really aren't in the Matrix? Sounds silly, but when you really look at it form an objective point of view, what proff do we reall have of any of it. Personally, I really don;t loose any sleep worrying about it. This particular existance came into being long before I was born and will be here long after I die. Why worry about how it started?

Answer 5

Observations of residual background radiation is consistent with the predicted behavior of an epic primordial explosion. However circumstantial evidence also suggests that the same observations could be accounted by the superior flatulence of an immortal self making clockmaker being and a suitably hot burrito.

Answer 6

We don't know 100 percent, but the evidence about what the universe is doing and has been doing since we have been able to observe it lends to the idea that everything originated from a central location. I hope that helps.

Answer 7

We don't know, but it is a logical conclusion from the fact that the universe is expanding in all directions. Roll back the clock and you get an explosion. The expansion, cooling, and electromagnetic radiation all indicate that an explosion caused the universe to be like it is today.

Answer 8

We don't. It is a belief like everything else in this section. They believe it could have started with a single point of matter, but they don't know.

Answer 9

Hello! The BIG BANG had to happen how else would you or I be born

Answer 10

we dont. it is a guess. i wouldnt even call it a theory, because it is absurd in my mind.
only one was there at the supposed date for sure. his name is God. ask him when you see him at the end of the world. though i doubt that will be the first thing on your mind.