If speed of light is maximum speed how do we account for the extraordinary speeds after big bang?

Answer 1

Good question. You must not confuse the apparent recession of objects due to the expansion of space itself with relative motion. The apparent recession due to expansion increases directly with separation, and so in principle can exceed the speed of light--but in this case nothing as actually moving through space--the space itself is expanding, like the surface of an inflating balloon (to use the classic simile).

The redshift of distant objects due to this expansion is called the cosmological redshift. Simply put, light waves undergo the same expansion as the space through which they travel. This is because light is described as an excitation of the electromagnetic field, which at any point in spacetime is a function of the coordinates. But the "metric" (the thing which allows you to translate from coordinates into distances) is constantly changing: two points called "A" and "B", that is, labeled by their (constant) coordinates, will still be moving apart. This is different in mechanism from the Doppler redshift you get from relative motion, though the effects (redshift) are qualitatively the same.

Answer 2

There were no extraordinary speeds after the big bang. All movement of mass were sublight speeds. The only thing that traveled at the speed of light was light photons.

You need to read the book "The Expanding Universe" by Mark A. Garlick (ISBN: 0789484161)

Excellent book to get a basic understanding of the theories of the Big Bang and the growth of the universe.

Answer 3

The laws of physics as we know them did not exist at the time of the big bang and it is theorised that light was much, much faster at the beginning, only settling at 186000 miles per second well after the bang started (well, relatively well after). The extraordinary speeds of the big bang happened in the first thousandths of seconds. Once physics as we know it came into being, the speed of light became the fastest anything could go. Remember that the big bang theory talks about time in very small divisions, those bits getting smaller all the time and a long time in the theory is measured in 1/1000 seconds.

Answer 4

The Big Bang Theory is extremely flawed...which explains why it is still just a theory. I find it ironic that people find it ez to believe you can explode a wood pile with a stick of dynamite and create a house...which in essence is the summation of the big bang theory..just on a much more massive scale, yet they find it difficult to believe in a higher being. The speed of light is the fastest speed known to the modern man, although lets not forget that everything hasn't been discovered yet!!!!

Answer 5

Technolgy is developing faster than ever, maybe in a hundred years we will driving at the speed of light to work. Talk about being late.

Answer 6

Good Question.

What IS this Inflationary Expansion theory based on anyway. It seems to be that theoretical physics is heading out into Lah Lah land recently.

Perhaps we need to stop thinking so hard - or think differently.

Answer 7

In a nutshell.... light is the CONSTANT in the universe. Wherever the observer stands, light is at a constant speed RELATIVE to us.

Look at books on relativity, expansion theory and universal constants.

The hawkins bloke... steve not justin, explains it a little bit better in his book.... a brief history of time.



















But he still cant dance....

Answer 8

Big bang is just a theory that's all nothing more so difficult to prove or disprove until left witht he evidence and all facts

Answer 9

i dnt think so. as far as i knw the highest possible speed possible is speed of light.
mayb due to relativety or different frame of motion

Answer 10

I don't trust scientific definitions.
Nothing is finite, in my view.
I experienced two big bangs in my life. One is called Peter, and the other Annette! They are very nice children and have given me a lot of pleasure as a parent. ;-)