What is the scientific estimate on the number of Universes that exist?

Answer 1

I read in Time a few years back that in an article, scientists explained a theory that universes connect as a chain, and our Universe- is among many. The idea was quite something to read and of course the diagrams and images they used to portray this thing out was all very fascinating to say the least. It was a rational idea even to me and considering what we found with a pin tip portion of the night sky magnified 1,300 times....hundreds of thousands of Galaxy's all clustered in an array that almost seemed like you are looking at it all through a cylinder.
So there is no real way to know for certain, but there could be millions of them...and a chain of universes makes rational sense.

Answer 2

There may be an infinite number of "Big Bang" regions in a much bigger space.

Contrary to the remarks above, there is a more-or-less intellectually honest way of testing for these other Universes, even though we can only see our own. The idea is that, based on a theory of physics (quantum field theory, or perhaps some version of string theory), you estimate the various values that the constants of physics (for example, the mass of the neutrino) can take. Then, since our Universe has the property of being old enough and having the right values of the various parameters of the theory of physics in order to sustain life, you estimate the value of some unknown quantity (e.g. the mass of the supersymmetric partner to the proton, or the mass of an axion). You then go measure that previously unknown value in an accelerator experiment. If you got it right, then it is a kind of confirmation that your many-Big Bang theory is correct.

One of the more plausible versions of the early inflation in the Big Bang is "Eternal Inflation". This theory does a good job of explaining "our" Big Bang, and suggests that there will be infinitely many others.

One troubling aspect of infinite Big Bangs is that, between our Big Bang and now, within our event horizon, the number of possible "alternate histories" is finite, since all the fields are quantized. The number is huge, but finite. Therefore, if there are infinite numbers of Big Bangs, we are assured that all possible histories of our Big Bang will be repeated an infinite number of times. That includes what we're doing right now.

Answer 3

There is a problem with your question. It is the word pair: "scientific estimate." When used in the context of speculation about possible parallel or alternate universes, science has no place. These discussions are purely speculative and not scientific. There is no test or experiment that can prove or disprove the existence of these concepts. So, since we are dealing in pure speculation, there can be no 'scientific' estimate. There can be educated guesses I suppose, but they are just that, guesses.

;-D it is fun to write Science Fiction! That is where alternate universes and parallel universes belong. Have you watched Deep Space 9? They have them there.

Answer 4

The scientific estimate would be 1 (one). As for the theory about parallel universes, it is untestable and therefore a meaningless question. To quote the great Carl Sagan (from his "Baloney Detection Kit"):

Always ask whether the hypothesis can be, at least in principle, falsified. Propositions that are untestable, unfalsifiable are not worth much. Consider the grand idea that our Universe and everything in it is just an elementary particle -- an electron, say -- in a much bigger Cosmos. But if we can never acquire information from outside our Universe, is not the idea incapable of disproof? You must be able to check assertions out. Inveterate skeptics must be given the chance to follow your reasoning, to duplicate your experiments and see if they get the same result.

Answer 5

About the same as the scientific estimate of how many centimetres in a piece of string. Insufficient data for meaningful answer!

Answer 6

the best estimate requires a test:
Take a box - that is a 3 dimensional volume, and fill it with dots. that have zero dimensions and zero volume, the number of dots that you can fit in that "box" can give you an indication of the number of possible universes, all having less than 11 dimensions, into an 11 dimensions whatyoucallit.

Answer 7

True, all of this is conjecture, but isn't it wonderful? I once heard a cosmologist talking about black holes. He imagined that everything that is sucked into a black hole pops out the other side into an entirely different universe.

Not testable, not falsifiable, but damn, if it doesn't get a person thinking about possibilities.

Without the ability to imagine, nothing new will ever be learned

Answer 8

Universe means one and that's all that exists.
Parallel universes are a fantasy the defies logic!

Answer 9

There could be an infinite number of universes out there. Each universe could play out a totally different reality than our universe.

Answer 10

One.

There is speculation about others, but no solid theory and not a single scrap of scientific evidence to even vaguely suggest it, even with a favourable wind.