Darkover
Archangel
- Jul 29, 2021
- 5,147
Do you think the universe is infinite or finite and do you think something came into existence from nothing or there always been something
If the universe were truly infinite, you'd expect an infinite depth to everything—including matter itself—rather than particles having a smallest possible size. The existence of fundamental particles like quarks and electrons, which don't appear to have any smaller internal structure, suggests a limit to how small things can get.
This idea could extend to space itself—if space were infinitely divisible, there wouldn't be a smallest possible unit of distance, yet theories like quantum mechanics and Planck length suggest there is a fundamental limit. If there's a smallest scale, it makes sense to question whether there's also a largest scale, meaning the universe might be finite.
1. Infinite Universes
If space-time goes on forever, then it must start repeating at some point, because there are a finite number of ways particles can be arranged in space and time. So if you look far enough, you would encounter another version of you— in fact, infinite versions of you. Some of these twins will be doing exactly what you're doing right now, while others will have worn a different sweater this morning, and still others will have made vastly different career and life choices. Because the observable universe extends only as far as light has had a chance to get in the 13.7 billion years since the Big Bang, the space-time beyond that distance can be considered to be its own separate universe. In this way, a multitude of universes exists next to each other in a giant patchwork quilt of universes.
If the universe were truly infinite, you'd expect an infinite depth to everything—including matter itself—rather than particles having a smallest possible size. The existence of fundamental particles like quarks and electrons, which don't appear to have any smaller internal structure, suggests a limit to how small things can get.
This idea could extend to space itself—if space were infinitely divisible, there wouldn't be a smallest possible unit of distance, yet theories like quantum mechanics and Planck length suggest there is a fundamental limit. If there's a smallest scale, it makes sense to question whether there's also a largest scale, meaning the universe might be finite.
1. Infinite Universes
If space-time goes on forever, then it must start repeating at some point, because there are a finite number of ways particles can be arranged in space and time. So if you look far enough, you would encounter another version of you— in fact, infinite versions of you. Some of these twins will be doing exactly what you're doing right now, while others will have worn a different sweater this morning, and still others will have made vastly different career and life choices. Because the observable universe extends only as far as light has had a chance to get in the 13.7 billion years since the Big Bang, the space-time beyond that distance can be considered to be its own separate universe. In this way, a multitude of universes exists next to each other in a giant patchwork quilt of universes.
