Is Space Endless? (thought-provoking)

[CuriousAndy]

I don't get it.. Is it? If it's infinite, how can you simply grasp that? 'The space is endless' Think about that for a second.. Doesn't make any sense..

If it isn't endless, then what? You run into a clear wall someday? (reminds me of Truman Show.. when Jim Carrey runs into the fake sky wall)

If it isn't endless, are we encased in a huge big globe? and maybe some higher being is watching over us??

This is a very simple question yet no one knows the answer to this.. I believe this is sensitively tied to the exsistance of religion..

~anDy

 

[DAM]

it might not be that its endless just that we perceive it as such, perhaps if you think you are traveling in a straight line you might actually be traveling in a circle, direction as well as space is relative.



dam()

 

[Fireman]

I have heard that the universe is expanding at the speed of light.
that doesn't help much though, does it.

 

[RossGr]

It doesn't have to be endless. Since it is expanding that would imply a boundry of some sort. Though since we currently live with a cosmic speed limit, there is no way could ever reach that boundry. So in that sense it is endless. What is the speed that the boundry advances? who knows, the speed of light is a limitation in our universe, what is our universe "expanding into"? What are the cosmic laws that govern the region defined by "NOT our universe"? I do not know even how to concieve of it.

 

[IJump]

Didn't you know, we are some 5th graders science fair project.

 

[Haribo]

ofcourse it's endless
... because what would be on the other side duh!



<< perhaps if you think you are traveling in a straight line you might actually be traveling in a circle >>



yeah AND?.... still what's outside the circle?

 

[Darein]

No no no. We really live in a marble that some aliens are playing with. Hurm, what does that remind me of...
I think space is infinite in one way or another. Be it a sphere to a cube of sorts. I really like the idea though that if you travel in a straight line long enough you end up back where you started, that is just so cool

 

[Quaggoth]

If you travelled in an ACTUAL straight line instead of a relative one, you would most definately NOT end up in the same spot.

 

[bot2600]

Distance and time are mearly perceptions of reality. You always were and always will be. You have never moved and never will. Get over it.

Bot

 

[johneetrash]

space is only as long as how far light has travelled into it

 

[Evadman]

Ok, out come the physics... I am not going to get into the theological implications, just the phisical universe that can be observed. But since observation changes the observed...

Theoreticly, the universe does have an edge. Assuming that the Big bang ( I wonder how long that name took to concieve ) is the correct theory. Think of it this way, We are inside of an explosion. (owchie ) After the big bang, energy... mass... yada...yada... All of known space is inside of what is left of the big bang. The universe is still expanding baised on the fact that almost everything else in the universe is moving away from us.

(This is where I move off on my own tangent, I hope your brain is well lubed for the journey )

It is believed that the mass in the universe is gaining speed baised on the red shift in most spectra. If that mass is gainig speed, what is acting on it? If it is just inerta, then this mass would come to a stop sooner or later and colapse in on itself. The only way around this is if the outer galaxies have escape velocity ( Enough velocity to escape the gravity of each other ) but this is highly unlikely because that velocity would approach if not exceed the speed of light.

This is where a crazy theory comes into play. What if there is a force that repels mass? Like anti-gravity. It is the only thing that we can think of that would explain the acceleration that is occuring.

Ok, that was totaly OT and not even close to the thought provoking question that was posed. Too much stream of consciousness for me

Anyway, I think there is a edge to the universe. If the universe is expanding, it must have an edge that takes over whatever it is expanding into. As for whatever is on the other side, ya got me. There is enough to figure out already.

 

[777joee]

EVADMAN,

Now my head hurts!!

 

[EvanFerguson]

it's infinite........

otherwise whatever barrier there is could be broken and we could move on again......


I dunno, it's infinite though........so there

 

[Triumph]

<< yeah AND?.... still what's outside the circle? >>



the point he's trying to make is one of dimensional perception. If you were confined to traveling on the circle, you would think that it's merely an infinite line. You would have No way of steping outside of the circle and seeing it as such. The circle is 2-d. We, however are 3-d. We can see 1 more dimension than the person traveling around in the circle. He has no conception of a dimension outside of his two. Similarly, we cannot see outside of our own 3 space dimensions. Can you think of a 4th dimension other than length, width, and heighth? I sure can't.

 

[SirFshAlot]

Can you think of a 4th dimension other than length, width, and heighth? I sure can't.

how about TIME?


I envision our known universe being surrounded by nothingness, i.e. space w/o matter.

 

[GasX]

2 part answer:

1. Space is finite albeit finitie in an unimaginably large kind of way. It is also expanding very very very rapidly.

2. Despite the actual limits of the universe, you could never reach the edge even if you travelled at the speed of light forever.

As Jim Morrision mumble at the end of a song once, &quot;Strange Beautiful...&quot;

 

[nEoTeChMaN]

Stephen Hawkins says that when you travel in space at the speed of light...you'll come back to the starting point since you're traveling in circle.

 

[isildur]

Ontologically, if space is expanding it must be finite. An infinite cannot expand.

 

[rc5]

It's like the surface of Earth. While that's not infinite, you can't find the &quot;border&quot; at all.

 

[hungrypete]

my worthless opinion:

'space' is infinite. It is nothing, and it is forever. Nothing.
'matter' is expanding in this space following the cleverly named 'big bang'




<< It is believed that the mass in the universe is gaining speed baised on the red shift in most spectra >>



now that would be disturbing... by the time humans can travel to another star, what if we are just too far away? Theoretically, if we can get off this planet, the human race can last forever (evolve anyways). Dammit Evadman you made my head swim... now I am stuck pondering your theory, likely for the rest of the day, I hope you are happy.

 

[desy]

Our perceived Universe may have an edge but I think there will still always be something beyoned the edge.
So if you except infinately large do you accept infinately small as well.
If you cut something in half you shoould be able to cut it to half forever. .. . .

 

[Elledan]

<< Can you think of a 4th dimension other than length, width, and heighth? I sure can't.

how about TIME?


I envision our known universe being surrounded by nothingness, i.e. space w/o matter. >>

Well, probably just 'nothingness' since all dimensions were created during the big bang, thus there is nothing, absolutely nothing beyond the 'border' of the universe. It's a bit like an explosion, except that outside everything 'created' by the explosion there is nothing.

 

[AaronP]

what if our entire universe is simply a spec of dust on the desk of some mega giant people in a larger universe?

 

[desy]

Homer
&quot;What is Mind? No Matter.
What is Matter? never mind !!
Heh Ha!&quot;

 

[DannyLove]

all you need is the spice, and you'll know

danny~!