Big Bang question. If absolutely NOTHING existed before then what caused it?

Answer 1

Two gases reacted in extreme heat.

http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/universe/b_bang.html

Answer 2

Lots of different ideas, but nothing concrete I'm afraid. The problem is that there is a good chance that even if we had the answer to that question it would be beyond the realms of human understanding.

There is a good chance that there are more than 4 dimensions and that we can only 'contemplate' the ones we know. Sub-atomic particles seem to exist and react with each other within different physical laws that we understand.

The simple answer is, we really don't know. But I'm told there are experiments going on with particle accelerators that replicate the big bang, this may give us more of a clue.

If, like me, your not a scientific genius I would recommend reading Stephen Hawkins, he's great at simplifying the whole business.

BTW, a scientific "theory" is a model that works with all applied calculations and observations. People seem to think it's called a theory because it's some sort of wild guess, this isn't correct. The Big Bang theory, the theory of relativity, the theory of universal gravity, the theory of evolution are all accurate models that reflect factual data and can not be disproved with any other single piece of evidence. So, a scientific 'theory' is, in all practical sense, a fact.

EDIT - Can i just say, Labsci below me gave a great answer. There was "nothing" before the big bang, but "nothing" isn't what you think it is.

Answer 3

The Big Bang theory doesn’t say anything about what caused it because, well, it doesn’t need to. Theories don’t try to explain everything, just what evidence is available and pertinent. Asking the Big Bang (and Evolution) to do more than this is a double standard. After all, the theory of Gravity doesn’t explain where mass came from. The Germ theory of disease transmission doesn’t explain where germs came from. Electro-magnetic theories don’t explain where charge comes from. Atomic theory doesn’t state where atoms come from.

So while it might seem like a piece of the puzzle is missing, as far as this single theory is concerned, it’s not really important. The origin of all these other pieces requires separate theories, with their own evidence, which are being worked on, but often times, are still in their infancy (ie, brane theory to explain the precursors to the Big Bang, Abiogenesis to explain the first life…)

Additionally, the Big Bang doesn’t go all the way back because it really can’t. When you start going back to far, things become fuzzy. The physical laws we’re all familiar with start to break down under such high energy densities. Really weird stuff starts to happen, like different fundamental forces ceasing to exist and merging with one another.

Thanks to work in particle accelerators, which can recreate such high energy densities for brief fractions of a second, we’re starting to get a feel for how physical laws operate under these conditions, and thus, are slowly working our way backwards. But there comes a point where we just don’t have a good enough handle on things to be able to say how things work back to pretty early (10^-35 seconds), but things were happening so fast and furiously, there’s still a long ways to go before we can uncover what happened to cause the whole mess.

Perhaps as better particle accelerators come on line, we’ll be able to work back even further, but this will require new theories about how matter and energy behave when shoved that close together, including a theory which has proved difficult for nearly a century, describing how gravity fits in with the other three fundamental forces into something known as the Grand Unified Theory (GUT).

Answer 4

In order for there to be a cause, there has to be a time before. In the case of the Big Bang, time also started at that point: there was no 'before the Big Bang'. It is somewhat like asking what is north of the north pole. It just doesn't work that way. The problem is that we are accustomed to viewing time as something separate from the universe, but in fact, it is very much a part of the structure of the universe. As such, time started when the universe began. Without a 'previous time', there cannot be a cause.

It should be pointed out that this is only one possible explanation. It is possible that there was a 'previous universe' that collapsed and 'bounced', thereby leading to the current expansion.

The ultimate answer is that we don't know. But there are people working on it, both theoretically and observationally.

Answer 5

Hi,

The 'Big Bang' theory, accepted nowadays by most scientists (that should be a warning, perhaps!) does not state that 'nothing existed before the bang' It merely states that the bang created the universe.

There was, according to the scientists, a huge quantity of gas before the bang and afterwards this 'solidified' into the present system of stars, planets, etc.

While I don't believe in the 'Big Bang' myself (more of a 'Steady state' believer) I do believe in giving people the right to not get misrepresented when arguing (sorry, discussing) their particular idea.

As several answerers have already pointed out, you can never 'go back to the beginning' with any certainty...'where did the gas come from?' etc. But to answer your question as well as I can I have to refute your assertation that 'nothing existed before the bang' The founders of the theory didn't ever say that and deserve to be judged on what they DID say only.

Cheers,

BobSpain

Answer 6

The Big Bang was caused by a plank being dropped on a Planck. That was just before the Planck time, and before the Planck time we can say nothing about the condition of the Universe.

At least that's the theory according to Sykes, Cooper and Edwards (1967).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Plank_%281967_film%29

Answer 7

Why do we keep getting thick-skulled people who demand that scientists should know what existed BEFORE the "Big Bang"?? As far as we know, NOTHING, pal, NOTHING existed before the "Big Bang". But, that's because nothing "prior" to the event survived the event. Comprende??

The origins of the universe are obscure, at best. Accept it or get over it. 13.7 billion years is a freakin' long time to try and look backwards into events that we are still only beginning to understand. New evidence is being uncovered all the time, some of which is causing us to logically question whether there is indication of alternate realities, and alternate times.

How does that "grab" ya?

And you demand to know the freakin' details?? There's just not enough information to go back THAT far.

Answer 8

I think if we are talking about the start of the universe lets accept anything is possible

possibly matter winked into existence from an alternate universe.

possibly God created it

possibly the universe has just always existed and always will

we must question everything. to people who believe the earth is flat from their perspective it is.

we exist this we know

thank goodness we don't know everything or it would get very boring very quickly!

Answer 9

The accepted theory is the MASS of the universe has always existed and always will exist in one form or another.

In the case of the Big Bang it was in the form of a singularity. Imagine all the planets, stars, galaxies, free hydrogen in the universe right now compressed into one ball that is not all that big in size (estimates vary from the size of Pluto to the size of our solar system, maximum).

One grain the size of a salt grain would weight more than the sun.

It's called ultra dense matter. It was is suspected of making up black holes.

Answer 10

To a quantum physicist, "Nothing" is simply a balance between positive and negative matter/energy. The universe began when the big bang caused nothing to split into its components. We live in the so-called positive matter/energy universe. Out there somewhere is the negative universe.
The cause it unknown, but is thought to be two other universes interacting at superstring level.

Answer 11

Pawel K wrote
The big bang is a theory and nothing more than a theory and i think its a false theory

0+0=0 u cannot create something from nothing
0+1=1

we just need to find what the 1 is and it aint the big bang. "


Wow, what a stunning philosophical concept!
If only all the research scientists, quantum physicists and astrophysicists were as astue as you, what a great deal they could accomplish.

While the Big Bang is only a theory (and there are competing theories), I am sure the explanation will be found one day, by intelligent, sincere research

It may be easy and comforting to just say "god did it", it is also lazy and stupid