Okay, if you go outside and light a firecracker it will explode and its pieces will come to rest. But according to the logic that apparently guides the universe they would not come to rest but accelerate outward and would never come to rest. Is the big bang theory a gross oversimplifacation of the orgins of the universe?
2007-08-20
07:33:12
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11 answers
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asked by
Anonymous
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Science & Mathematics
➔ Astronomy & Space
Okay im am refering to the big bang as being an explosion. And I know Neutonian phsyics and have taken Calculus courses up to Calculus four. Dont be a duschbag just answer the f*cking question.
2007-08-20
07:47:13 ·
update #1
I realize that the "firecracker" example is very simplistic. Gravity does slow the firecracker particles but even without gravity, the indidual pieces do not accelerate out from the center of the explosion, at best they would maintain their initial velocity at the moment of explosion.
So scientists are explaining the unknown with the unknown, and we are to believe them?
2007-08-20
08:11:18 ·
update #2
The Big Bang is not like a typical explosion. Your firecracker produces gas and stuff that flies through space. The pieces come to rest because of friction with the air around and collisions with the ground. Even a conventional explosion in space would give a blast that would continue to expand unless the mass density was enough to cause it to re-collapse.
But, the biggest problem underlying your question is that the Big Bang was not an explosion in the usual sense. Instead of stuff flying through space, it is space itself expanding. Essentially, by assuming a 'uniform perfect fluid' permeating space and using the equations of general relativity, you find that the spacetime geometry has a spatial part that either expands or contracts. If there is a 'cosmological constant', that expansion of space can even be exponential (so it accelerates very quickly). It turns out that the contribution of the cosmological constant became dominant over ordinary matter about 7 billion years ago, so the current expansion is accelerating.
The problem is that the notion that the Big Bang was a 'big explosion' is the gross oversimplification of what the theory actually says.
2007-08-20 10:53:28
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answer #1
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answered by mathematician 7
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The gross oversimplification is thinking of the Big Bang as an explosion - you can't extrapolate from a firecracker to the cosmos! The expansion of space appears to be continuously driven by an unknown force called "dark energy". If it were due to the initial momentum, gravity would eventually pull it back together unless it was moving faster than escape velocity to begin with.
This is not a matter of "explaining the unknown with the unknown". The accelerating expansion is derived from actual measurements, so scientists are hypothesizing that a force exists to cause the observed effect. The search is now on to find the nature of this force.
2007-08-20 08:12:08
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answer #2
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answered by injanier 7
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We still don't know yet if gravity will stop the expansion eventually,leading to a "big crunch".It is an elegant theory,a repeatedly oscillating universe.Recent observations have made this theory fall out of favor though.For years,we could only detect about 10% of the matter needed for gravity to halt the expansion.Scientists postulated the existance of "dark matter" to account for it.The recent observation that the rate of expansion of the universe is accellerating instead of slowing down,has led scientists to now postulate a "dark energy"driving the expansion.You can ask,but not even scientists know what "dark energy" may be.honestly,right now,it is a fill in the gap explanation.Not proven by any means.Your firecracker analogy is flawed however.Even when the firecracker explodes,gravity will "put the pieces to rest"unless they were to achieve "escape velocity"7 miles per second for earth.That is the big question unanswered to this day,Is there enough mass in the universe to stop tnhe expansion.Currently,the thinking is no,the mass in the universe is insufficient to generate enough gravity to stop the universes outward expansion.It is now thought the universe will die a "cold death" galaxies spread further and further,matter swallowed into black holes,until eventually,even protons disintegrate,and nothing left but "virtual energy"
2007-08-20 07:54:37
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answer #3
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answered by nobodinoze 5
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In short, the answer is dark matter. Scientists beleive that there is an abundance of this substance throughout the universe that is acting to pull the universe apart in a sense. They have tried to measure the amount of this substance in the universe but there are so many other variables at play. Such as the fact that scientists thought that neutrons had no mass and therefore would not affect the expansion of the universe, they now believe that neutrons do actually have mass and therefore affect the total mass that is present in our universe.
2007-08-20 10:26:53
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answer #4
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answered by Jamie 2
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you have raised a brilliant variety of questions, better than could properly be spoke back in a short respond. The universe began with a singularity. no one is well-known with what a singularity is; that's why that's called a singularity. despite the fact that, quantum concept skill that it is not a nil-dimensional element with limitless density. interior the 1st moments after the expansion began, there became no count--in basic terms potential. count became produced from the potential of the super bang. the super bang created nuclei of hydrogen, helium, and a touch lithium. Heavier nuclei have been created lots later interior the atomic furnace of stars. the super bang wasn't an explosion, it became a variety of area. maximum cosmologists have self assurance that the universe is finite yet unbounded--no obstacles, no edges.
2016-11-13 00:10:37
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answer #5
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answered by ? 4
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The Universe is not a firecracker. There are other forces at work. Dark energy may be causing the expansion.
2007-08-20 07:40:34
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answer #6
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answered by Nature Boy 6
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scientists cant be 100% sure. but they think its because of dark energy in the universe pushing it further outward.
Ist Sarge, u have no idea what hes saying. hes saying the universe should be slowing down according to newton, but instead its accelerating.
2007-08-20 07:38:31
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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It's a mystery right now; They're keen on finding the answers. If I were to tell you 'an answer' - it would almost have to be incorrect, as so far - no one's discovered why.
2007-08-20 08:09:43
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answer #8
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answered by quantumclaustrophobe 7
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either you are very deep, or i'm very confused. i'm sorry, i dont know the answer....
2007-08-20 09:17:37
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answer #9
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answered by Anonymous
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no one knows for sure.
2007-08-20 07:41:59
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answer #10
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answered by Anonymous
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