Is the universe infinite?

[IceBergSLiM]

Does it automatically rewind and start from the beginning again?

Not sure. I'm still getting my pay check though I hope they don't fix the glitch.

 

[rivan]

Hopefully Fruits of the Forest

I just saw a fruits of the forest pie at a local market and was intrigued - I have no idea what's in it.

I bought the peach instead.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

We live on a fucking rock floating in space.

 

[Ryland]

I just saw a fruits of the forest pie at a local market and was intrigued - I have no idea what's in it.

I bought the peach instead.

It is usually a multi-berry pie with possibly some apple in there.

 

[Pheran]

Probably finite but unbounded, most likely a hypersphere with the space we live in as the "surface volume".

 

[zsdersw]

The universe is finite, but unbounded:

"Finite but unbounded" is actually easier to conceptualize than one might think. Consider, first, a square, which is finite and bounded. There is a definite amount of square -- it does not go on forever -- so it is finite. It is bounded because there is a part of the square that marks the end of the square -- it is the last place the square is.

Now, consider the surface of a sphere. That surface is also finite because there is only so much of it. It is unbounded, however, because there is no part of the surface that marks where the surface ends. An ant walking in a constant direction on a baseball, for example, would eventually walk over its own path.

Finally, let's turn our attention to the universe. Current theory holds that there is only so much universe -- it is finite. The same theory holds that there is no part of the universe that marks where it stops. Conceivably, if one looked out far enough in some direction, he would see the back of his own head. One way this could happen would be a case in which the 3-dimensional universe we know and love were the surface of a 4-dimensional hypersphere, this being an extension of the 2-dimensional surface of a 3-dimensional sphere.

 

[MrX8503]

If its true that the Universe is ever expanding, then it is infinite.

 

[911paramedic]

No. How else could I be the center of it?

 

[PlasmaBomb]

I don't think so. I believe if we traveled in the same direction long enough, we'd eventually end up where we started.

weirdly that doesn't preclude the universe from being infinite...

 

[PlasmaBomb]

At our currently obtainable speeds the universe is infinite for us because we would never be able to get to the edge because it is expanding faster than we can travel. If we had some way to move faster than its expansion speed then we should be able to hit the edge of it eventually (although it has been expanding for billions of years).

No the universe is not infinite but I have no idea what you would find at the edge of it.

Depends on how you define the universe... if you define it as everything (or perhaps everything created by the big bang)... then it doesn't have an edge to reach.

 

[CPA]

We live on a fucking rock floating in space.

best explanation yet.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

The universe is finite, but unbounded:

This, but also at slower than FTL travel we would have no way to reach it at current technology levels as was already mentioned.

So, as of today it is infinite because we could never reach the "edge" (this is assuming there is one). It can also be infinite as zsdersw explained, which ultimately depends on how our space time is formed. One of the things I saw was that it's doughnut shaped, which would mean no matter what direction you look you would end up looking back at yourself (with powerful enough equipment).

 

[zsdersw]

Perhaps it's best to adapt the Breton Fisherman's Prayer to suit the topic:

"Oh universe thy space is so great and my planet is so small."

 

[threeringbinder]

Does it automatically rewind and start from the beginning again?

i think i saw that same episode on Futurama...

 

[sandorski]

Maybe. From my perspective, it's as good as Infinite given my relative size to It.

 

[gar3555]

Then what's at the other end?

Cowboy universe.

 

[magomago]

Does it automatically rewind and start from the beginning again?

Nah needs some user input at the moment:
universeconfig /renew

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Finite, but unbounded.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

The universe is already over, the ending just hasn't reached us yet.

This is more true than not.

 

[spacejamz]

I foresee someone failing a drug test in their future

 

[guyver01]

If the universe is infinte... how can there be a restaurant at the end????

ever think of that?

 

[AMCRambler]

Definitely infinite. Even Harry Caray thinks so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3gl4ERlmeg

 

[DrPizza]

The universe is finite, but unbounded:

This, but also at slower than FTL travel we would have no way to reach it at current technology levels as was already mentioned.

So, as of today it is infinite because we could never reach the "edge" (this is assuming there is one). It can also be infinite as zsdersw explained, which ultimately depends on how our space time is formed. One of the things I saw was that it's doughnut shaped, which would mean no matter what direction you look you would end up looking back at yourself (with powerful enough equipment).

How can you say "this" when you apparently have no clue what "this" means. What do you mean by "reach it?" Reach what?? Unbounded means that there isn't an edge. It's finite, but there's no edge.

 

[zerocool84]

It's as infinite as Paris Hilton's vagina.

 

[BoomerD]

It's as infinite as Paris Hilton's vagina.

Damn...now I wanna hit the universe...