How can something be INFINITELY SMALL?

Question

If something was infinitely big and it began to shrink, no matter how fast or how long for it would always be INFINITELY big because infinity has no end. I have read on numerous occasions that before the big bang, the universe was 'infinitely' small. but surely if this was the case it would take an infinite amount of time for it to expand (or explode) into something even the size of an atom. considering there is a finite amount of matter in the universe, surely it was finitely small.

Answer 1

Upon further consideration, I have concluded that you have become a victim of that nefarious, mathematical concept of infinity.

Remember, it is not a "number" - nor does it exist in reality - your reasoning in your question is valid, it's the concept that's questionable.

The term "infinitely large" is usually followed immediately by some wise-*** asking, "what is infinity plus 1, or infinity squared" and so fourth.
Obviously, zero is not infinitely small, since there are an "infinite" string of negative numbers which are smaller. Now you've got me using the term......aghhhh

It's a mind boggling term, eh?

Answer 2

You get trapped by the dilemma of something divided by 0 equal to infinity so zero dividing into anything small is still infinity. That is a math issue. Physics provides no answer at a singularity (something / zero) so can only look for hint a bit before after singularity. Stephen Hawking wrote the First 3 Mintues and he couldn't start with t= 0 but a few "seconds' afterwards. The same applies when the universe ever reaches infinity. Nobody can answer that scenario because it is inconsistent with most physics law (such as Thrid Law of Thermodynamics). But we have insufficient knowledge to know if and when the universe will stop expanding or start contracting.

Spending too much time dwelling about these singularities distracts a lot of good physics that we can observe.

Answer 3

Lol. Should have posted this in philosophy. This is the old tortoise and hare argument. Supposedly one of the great philosophic wonders. There was another one about someone shooting an arrow, and that if you broke its flight down into small enough parts it would take an eternity to get there. Yeah, not a fan of the argument. Since we as humans cannot ever fully grasp the idea of infinity, couldn't it also be possible that matter and time could be infinitesimally small? I think not. I think that no matter how far you break something down, there is a finite measurement of its existence. This paradox is however untrue of infinity. It's an explosive question, and the implications always draw controversy and doubt. To be sure, everything observable has a finite measurement, and it is only in the idea of an endless space and time do we get thrown into the barrel of guessing, and estimation.

Answer 4

If the movie of the universe is run backwards, it ends up in a point of infinite density and no volume. This doesn't make sense, so the main task of theories of the universe's origin is to make sense of this. One way out of the problem is that under the conditions present at the big bang, the usual laws of nature are likely to not be valid. For one thing, the 4 forces (electromagnetism, weak force, strong force, and gravity) are unified. This is in the first 10^-43 of a second. Since at that time space and time are greatly warped and maybe aren't even separated, laws of nature as we know them might not hold. If time is warped enough, this first 10^-43 of a second could have taken an infinite amount of time. If observed from the outside (which doesn't exist) it would be 10^-43 sec.

Answer 5

Infinitely small means zero. You could have no upper limit to something like temperature (molecules get faster and faster (ignoring the limiting speed of light)). But if molecular motion could cease, zero temperature. Or you can have more and more money, but not infinitely less. Sooner or later, you reach zero. So I think your problem comes from not being able to consider infinitely small as the same as zero.
Now, it's still hard to picture the universe being zero size, (or a black hole, for example, having finite mass but zero volume). But at least I can get my head around zero better than the phrase "infinitely small".

Answer 6

I would argue that nothing is infinite and nothing is finite. Time, space and matter were created with the big bang. I think its all relative and cyclic. The universe will stop expanding and converge on itself someday and the whole thing will cause a big bang again and the rebirth of the iniverse.

Answer 7

Mathematics disintegrates when you go back in time until the big bang. The universe was actually a point particle at that time, it was a one dimensional point.

Answer 8

I take infinite as not finite. Nobody is able to quantify it with any accuracy.

Answer 9

The thing is, we use general relativity to measure big things, and quantum mechanics to measure small things

However, when trying to unite the two, it fails, so when something turns from small to large there is no logical scientific explanation. but essentially, the first answerer covered it

Answer 10

The book by Flann O'Brien will explain properly the question that you are wondering about........