How can an endless universe ever start?

Question

The Big Bang will expand for ever (the Big Chill). Infinity is by definition something that can't be measured. How can it have a start in the Big Bang?
The closest thing to infinity and eternity we can imagine is a two-dimensional being on a volumetric surface such as a sphere. It can move for ever without reaching an end. But it doesn't have a start either, right?

Answer 1

The universe is unbounded. General Relativity does not permit the universe to have a boundary. So it could be infinite, or it could be finite but unbounded--- circumnavigable, like the surface of the Earth.

We know that the distances to objects now are increasing at a rate proportional to their distance. If they are farther away, they mist have been smaller in the past. 13.7 Gyr ago, the distances to all *finitely distant* galaxies was zero. But the universe is infinitely large now, it was still infinitely large then, mostly filled with galaxies that are now infinitely distant.

If we live on a closed (sphere-like) universe, that is still no problem; as you go back in time, the distances between galaxies get shorter and shorter until all the distances were zero at the big bang.

Answer 2

This question is not as difficult as you think. Many things can start and never end. For example, something heats up and radiates light. That light might travel out into space forever and never be absorbed by anything.

Humans think in terms of them selves. So, the concept of the big bang means that there was a point of origin and the universe expands out from that. That idea is easy for us to understand and model with our math.

But this universe is an on-going process of dynamic change. What we see may be the 2nd or third evolution of the universe, we have no way to tell.

What was here before this universe must have had the basic ingredients from which this universe was born. As far as we know, energy is not lost. It just changes form. If what was ere before was fundamentally different from this universe, at least it contained the same amount of energy. The form of that energy is open to speculation.

At some point, that universe reached an age which was a tipping point into the universe we have now. Perhaps this universe will reach an age or density that will phase into another form of universe. As far as we know, the amount of energy will remain the same, so the universe may or may not change into another form. If you consider a change into another form an 'end.' then it is feasible that this universe will 'end.' Just the energy will continue on in another form.

:-D It is a great area for speculation and science fiction.

Answer 3

This question has been pondered by man for years and years,, The bottom line is that math and science and man can not imagine what it was before the big bang it is what some call nothingness but nothingness is always something, weather it be a vacum or just plain blackness it is still something,, Mans mind is to small to know what nothingnerss would look like,, the universe has no begining and no end,,

Answer 4

Once again...THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS INFINITY!
It is a mathematical construct.
A useful tool, but just like the square root of minus one, it does not actually exist.
What is infinity plus one?
What is infinity minus one?
What is infinity divided by two?

Nonsense questions for an abstraction.

Answer 5

Applying the laws of thermodynamics we would have to assume that total sum of energy in the universe has always existed in one from or another.The Big bang theory is currently the best explanation for the observable bodies in our knowledge,but it is not a definitive answer.Red shift is evidence supporting this theory but we can't escape the problem of pre-big bang what form energy was in.Some people(usually theists) theorise that this heralds the existence of a creator but this is obviously a large assumption to make.

Answer 6

Great question, but infinity has no start (look at the symbol). The word itself comes from the Latin for "unboundedness" which I interpret as meaning bound by nothing, including theory. It's simply beyond human comprehension. Perhaps when we as humans start using more than only 35% of our brains we'll understand.

Cheers!

Answer 7

If your start is also the end, like you balloon picture, then you are in infinity, so it becomes a point of view question, what do you want the start or end to be, or do you want to think that everything has no beginning and no end?

Answer 8

As we are only a very tiny spot in the universe, our imagination is unable to picture the beginning and the end. It might be that in the far future there will be a great genius with all the answers. I hope they will not burn him on a stake.....................

Answer 9

Space doesn't exist unless there are two or more objects in existent. Then there is what you call space in between them. Therefor, Space is finite in that it only goes as far as matter occupies it. From that point on, because it is void of absolutely any thing, Nothing exists. Not even what we call space. Nothing + nothing = nothing.

Answer 10

The universe has always been - it resides outside time. I have answered this genus of question a number of times, and you are welcome to review my past answers.
Essentially, all popular physics studies state that matter resides outside of time for all moments. they don't teach it that way, but this is where you end up.