Big Bang Theory: Was empty space here before the Big bang?

Question

Curious about some answers to an earlier question. As I understand the big bang theory it produced all the mattter in the universe, but surely empty space infinite nothingness was here before the big bang, according the the theory?
I cannot agree that time began with the big bang, because change must have occured for the big bang to start.

Answer 1

I follow what you are trying to ask.

What we need to try to get a grip on is that the expansion of the universe isn't like a bomb going off in empty space so that shrapnel goes flying off in all directions and fills the space that was already there. It's that *everything* is expanding, including the space.

I still fall back on the expanding balloon analogy. Let "space" be the two-dimensional curved surface of a balloon that expands as you inflate it. Only the surface counts -- the 3D "real" space that the balloon "really" is expanding into does not count.

That 2D world on the surface of the balloon keeps getting larger, but there wasn't any "empty" balloon surface that parts of it expanded into. The entirety of it just got larger.

Keep wrestling with the question...it's a fun one.

Answer 2

Well, I don't totally buy the Big Bang Theory. I believe there was A Big Bang, but not THE Big Bang.
Think about this, who says that all we can see is the Universe? Who says it isn't many times bigger than what we currently think it is? Maybe even millions or billions times larger. Maybe there are lots of Big Bangs? Our technology limits us to how far we can see.
Look at it this way, if another Big Bang occurred somewhere else in the Universe 100 billion light years away, and happened 20 billion years ago. We wouldn't know about it for another 80 billion years.
The Human Race is an arrogant one. We used to think that the Earth was flat, that the Sun used to orbit the Earth, and that we were the centre of the Universe. It seems nothing has changed, we are still arrogant and claim to know everything. It seems that science is becoming just as dogmatic as religion these days.

Answer 3

If the Big Bang theory is correct, there was no time or space before the Big Bang. However, there is also "brane" theory (not a misspelling), which holds that the universe is a four dimensional "membrane" floating in a space with a higher number of dimensions called the Bulk. It helps explain why gravity is such a weak force, and the detection of sterile neutrinos is evidence for it. If that's true, there was time and space before this universe began, i.e. there was a "before".

Answer 4

No - there was no space before the big bang, in the sense that we know it, because by definition the universe includes space time (plus the other possible dimensions).

For all those people who are having a go at cosmology can I please make it clear to the asker that there is exceptionally good evidence for the big bang (perhaps the doubters would like to look at the WMAP data), okay we have some problems with dark matter / dark energy but they are solvable and they are likely to resolved as we get a better understand of the universe at quantum levels. I'm not saying there is no god (I'm Pastafarian myself) what I what is evidence of a biblical creation as good as a Big Bang.

Answer 5

I guess we are all guessing, no definite answer. I don't believe empty space is here before the Big bang. I don't believe in big bang theory now, maybe later when there are more evidence towards this answer. Why only one big bang, why not bang bang bang... If there can only be one bang, why then. Can there be space space space which is in difference dimension.

Answer 6

you are having a normal thinking with commonsense. That is why you get this kind of idea.

The universe always existed. It was never created. It never started and it will never end. Somebody might ask how that is possible that there is no end to universe, no beginning etc, but the answer is simple;

we have not created universe. why ziraffe looks likw ziraffe? why light moves faster than sound? all these are nature's productions. We have no right to ask, why?? all we have to do is accept the facts. If universe is infinite and always existed then it must be an unique feature of Universe. If that is the feature of Universe then we have to accept it. Well it is not proved that universe is infinite, however it is also not proved it is finite so far; any commonsense scientific thinking tells that universe cannot be finite. Big bang proponents are obscessed with one finding of galaxies moving away and seems to have accepted that universe started from big bang. They also talk about dark energy etc; but I do not understand how they deducted that universe started with big bang??

Universe has no beginnings or end and it is infinite in my opinion. In reality we may never find out whether it is infinte or finite and we ' the infinite universe believers' may have to continue to accept that the universe is an infinite stuff and with no beginnings or end. If this is how Universe is then who are we to question it?? do we ask why Ziraffe looks like Ziraffe?

Now about big bang; I do not agree with big bang in it's entirety. I do not agree with the theory that time and universe started with the big bang.

I feel universe always existed. However the matter within the universe undergoes changes may be in a cyclic fashion. All the matter in an area ( very big area - diameter billion billion light years ) collapse to may be a small point, then at an appropriate time explode again - which may be something like big bang. This produces the matter in that region of the universe. Galaxies, stars, planets will form. The speed of explosion is such that the matter ( galaxis ) etc will move away from each other, the velocity might keep on increasing until they get tired then slow down and then start collapsing and going back to the original point of explosion. This may be cyclical; explosion- going away- collapsing- explosion; on and off.

Infinite number of big bangs must be happening in this infinite universe.

If you cannot agree that time began with big bang then that is perfectly normal. Because any normal scientific thinking cannot agree that time began with big bang. The big bang proponents try to prove that universe is finite and they come out with really nauseating explanations to support their view, they mention about baloon theory, 4 dimensions, space is curved, you reach the same point you started with etc etc; now all these explanations really look very funny and ridiculous.

Answer 7

According to the Theory, the 'Bang` not only
created all matter and energy that we percieve,
but the Space and Time we experience as well.
I know this is hard to grasp, but that's the Theory.
Last time I checked, 'before the bang` was a
"quantum field with up to 12 real dimensions".
....I can't visualize it either.

Answer 8

There was nothing before the big bang except a potential that resulted in the universe.

Answer 9

Well I'm glad that you understand that the Big Bang created all matter. Out of what? :)
However, this is a hypothesis, and is certainly not supported by any evidence. Indeed the whole Big Bang idea is riddled with problems, hence the need to invent ideas such as inflation, dark matter, dark energy, etc.

The reason that many people promote it is for philosophical (religious) reasons they cannot tolerate the alternative of Creation.
Is it more reasonable to think that the universe was created, or that it just appeared out of literally nothing? Sounds like a fairy tale to me.

To answer your question, space, matter and time all began at the Beginning.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Answer 10

Yes Big Bang
Produced all matter