Has the universe always existed?

Question

Please tell me about the origins of the universe. Has the universe always existed? Did universe exist in some form before the Big Bang?
(I would also be very happy if you could recommend me any good book worth reading on this subject)

Answer 1

A Good question. So far the age of the Universe (currently accepted to be 13.7 billion years), according to the Big Bang theory, is defined as the largest possible value of proper time integrated along a timelike curve from the Earth at the present epoch back to the "Big Bang". The time that has elapsed on a hypothetical clock which has existed since the Big Bang and is now here on Earth will depend on the motion of the clock. According to the preceding definition, the age of the universe is just the largest possible value of time having elapsed on such a clock.

Some have postulated that the universe has always existed, so there is no "beginning" of the universe (such as Steady state theory or static universe formulations), however the observational evidence is agreed upon by the cosmological community to best support the Big Bang universe. Below is a discussion of the age of the universe according to this theory.
NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) project estimates the age of the universe to be:

(13.7 ± 0.2) × 109 years.
That is, the universe is about 13.7 billion years old, with an uncertainty of 200 million years. However, this age is based on the assumption that the project's underlying model is correct; other methods of estimating the age of the universe could give different ages.

This measurement is made by using the location of the first acoustic peak in the microwave background power spectrum to determine the size of the decoupling surface (size of universe at the time of recombination). The light travel time to this surface (depending on the geometry used) yields a pretty good age for the universe. Assuming the validity of the models used to determine this age, the residual accuracy yields a margin of error near one percent.

This is the value currently most quoted by astronomers.
In physics, the process of dimensional analysis serves to qualify physical problems on a conceptual level without a strict emphasis on mathematical formalism. This is an especially helpful tool for analyzing the age of the Universe when using Planck units, whereby the age of the universe can be related to the temperature. In a Planck unit analysis, the age is related to the inverse square of the temperature of the Universe. Dividing the current temperature of the Universe by the Planck temperature yields the ratio: 6 × 10-31. Its inverse square yields 2.72 × 1060, which is the age of the Universe expressed in Planck units. Multiplying by the Planck time converts from Planck units to real time and yields the approximate age of the Universe: 11.667 Gyr (the actual age of the Universe as measured by WMAP is 13.7 Gyr (+/- 2%)). Such a result is often called an order of magnitude calculation, or rather a "back-of-the-envelope" calculation. There are many other unit relations like this one, including the relationship between the critical density and the Planck temperature.Some recent studies found the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle to be two times slower than previously believed, leading to the conclusion that the Universe could be billions of years older than previous estimates (via the CNO cycle). Calculating the age of the universe is only accurate if the assumptions built into the models being used are also accurate. This is referred to as strong priors and essentially involves stripping the potential errors in other parts of the model to render the accuracy of actual observational data directly into the concluded result. Although this is not a totally invalid procedure in certain contexts, it should be noted that the caveat, "based on the fact we have assumed the underlying model we used is correct", then the age given is thus accurate to the specified error (since this error represents the error in the instrument used to gather the raw data input into the model).

The age of the universe based on the "best fit" to WMAP data "only" is 13.4±0.3 Gyr (the slightly higher number of 13.7 includes some other data mixed in). This number represents the first accurate "direct" measurement of the age of the universe (other methods typically involve Hubble's law and age of the oldest stars in globular clusters, etc). It is possible to use different methods for determining the same parameter (in this case – the age of the universe) and arrive at different answers with no overlap in the "errors". To best avoid the problem, it is common to show two sets of uncertainties; one related to the actual measurement and the other related to the systematic errors of the model being used.

An important component to the analysis of data used to determine the age of the universe (e.g. from WMAP) therefore is to use a Bayesian Statistical analysis, which normalizes the results based upon the priors (i.e. the model).[3] This quantifies any uncertainty in the accuracy of a measurement due to a particular model used.

Answer 2

The universe has been in existence since the time of the Big Bang. Currently, there is a theory that the birth and death of a universe is a never ending cycle so maybe, a different universe had existed before the Big Bang started our universe. The Big Bang started from a point of singularity where at that time, all the forces were united and eventually the universe started expanding in its inflationary stage. The time during 10 to the power of -43 seconds is known as the Planck epoch and scientists are trying to figure out what happened exactly at the Big Bang. Two good books would be Stephen Hawking's A Briefer History Of Time and Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe. You could also post messages and discuss astronomy and space topics on astrowhiz at Yahoo Groups which is updated daily!

Answer 3

The Universe, is a possibility. It should have existed before the big bang. It could have and it would have. But if the hunt for the red october, or the hunt for what was the universe like before the big bang is to bag the catch, it would probably be something similar to the Universe now or maybe it would be a difference function. I think you can read the book by steven hawkings, a brief history of time.

Answer 4

I don't believe that the "Big Bang" has ever been proven to be a scientific fact . At some point in the last 100 years or so, many scientists & those who "play at science" have eschewed what is termed the "the scientific method". This term refers to the steps one must take before a theory can became an absolute fact. Using the big bang as an example, because it does appear to answer some of the questions concerning the origin of the universe, and since the theory has been "on the table" for more than a generation, most accept it as fact. Much of the present human approach towards science, and for that matter, the approach to daily life in general, is concerned with immediate results. Scientists (with & without their knowledge) will use a previously unproven theory as a jumping off point...so the foundation of their work is a "foundation of sand." You see this mindset everywhere, not just in science. The media, politicians, corporate heads, economists, and religious leaders of EVERY denomination spew forth untruths on a daily basis. I'm amazed at how much one may seperate truth from error using pure logic. The Big Bang?...word's not in that one yet. The one true God "created the heavens and the earth", so there was surely a beginning, but that does not neccessarily mean that the big bang, or something like it, was not manifested at the time of it's creation.

Answer 5

Some physicists believe in the Big Bang theory while others believe the universe has always existed. I would recommend reading Dr. Stephen Hawking.

Answer 6

My definition of "Universe" is different from most astronomers and physicists definition of the universe. I believe that the universe includes the eternal void that the Big Bang happened inside of. There was always empty space for all of eternity. The Big Bang happened "within" this empty space, it did not "create" the empty space we think of as being "most" of the perceivable, known universe. In spite of what scientists think is an "edge" of the universe, I believe that the universe has no edge, and no boundaries. That empty space goes on for eternity in all directions. Maybe there are celestial bodies 500 trillion miles from Earth and beyond, and maybe there aren't, but one thing is for sure. The universe is infinite, not finite. I attest that "the universe is eternal and no one can prove otherwise."

Answer 7

its true that the universe did exist.
there is some theory to this were i red it many times
the Big Bang theory and the Dust cloud theory
but i dont believe in that theory cause god created the universe
thats the truth
i would suggest you to read the britannica books or you could search in the internet

Answer 8

Yes-Universe always exists as it has existed. It is continually changing but all actions relating to change are occuring in a supporting stratum known as universal consciousness in a subtle form with the help of a subtle instrument known as universal mind sensitized by universal consciousness. What we humans possess and perceive is only an infinitesmal part of universal existence but happily even the infinitesmal part that is known as knowledge contains the complete information of creation in a coherent manner. But we fail to realize this truth attaching our minds to space-time bounded relativistic existence of phenomenal events viewing the universe in a duality of subject-object relationship. All these facts from the stand point of human mind dynamics and observations are discussed in Bhagawad Gita which in my view as a hindu is a non-religious exposition of all factors that contribute to universal creation and the ultimate definition of human existence to realize the eternal truth of universal existence.

Answer 9

This is so controversial. Many astronomers have different theories, etc. There was an article on here recently saying that the universe is probably older than first thought. Who know?

Answer 10

Hi.the question yu've asked is the question of all astronomers today.What is universe and where is it.There should be a cotainer for anything. If so, what container contains the universe. So The basic physics itself is wrong, if we think about the exixtence of universe.The only person can answer your question is God,if he exists.So, Where is God? What contains God. If he resides in a room what contains that room? A million dollar question.