h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What was it that went bang? How did apparently nothing expand into all the stars and stuff that we can see, and all the stuff that we probably can't? How infinite is space? and what happens if the universe hits a WALL?

Wow, that's all rather deep.

You will probably get more of a response if you post this in <./>Askh2g2</.> there are more people there

As for the question, it kinda depends on whose theory you subscribe to.

There are those who believe that in the beginning there were matter and anti-matter particles winking in and out of existance and that 2 happened to arrive at the same point in time and space creating a large matter/anti-matter explosion with a lot of energy. Since e=mc^2 this would account for where the matter came from.

How infinite is space? If you're talking our universe it is not infinite, if you're talking the space in which our universe exists then I really couldn't say.

A WALL you say, would that be the big crunch theory that one day the universe will stop expanding and start retracting until all the mass ends up in one big crunch (possibly to provide the next big bang), or are you imagining a physical wall which our universe would be contrained by? The latter would be an interesting occurrence since the energy exerted by the universe is huge, the wall would have to be extremely strong to stop it. Therefore I doubt there is such a wall that is still in existance, besides what would it be attached to (assuming it's not a sphere containing our universe) in order for it to provide resistance.

I think I have babbled enough about the theories I can remember, as I said at the beginning, if you post this in <./>Askh2g2</.> you will get more responses

Mel

Which big bang; all the matter has always been there, the Universe may be expanding now, but who's to prove that it wasn't contracting (and expanding) in past millenia?

All the matter the universe is formed from, is, I thought, origionally derived from all the polystyrine packing matterial used in boxs. Or did I get that rong.

the big bang was apparantly the creation of the universe, if so what created the gases that caused the big bang?

that is a hard question.

From what I understand it is a case of things can implode into nothingness. Therefore that can happen backwards resulting in nothing to something. Frankly it's one theory with some evidence, but the same evidence can be used to back up other theories, or the evidence can be explained away as other stuff and other theories with completely different evidence may come into play. Really the big bang theory is just the main scientific one I believe, and they've got to have one. Otherwise everyone would be following religion and pretty soon no one would finance their work. (This is a bit pessimistic, I know, but it's one way of looking at it.)

I agree totaly. have you noticed how religious people explain scientific theorys on the UN-existance of god and twist it around. for example:
them:God made the world
Me: but the big bang theory has evidence and you dont
them:hmmm uhh... it was God who made the big bang!
Me: ahhhhh!

Another would be:
them: God made all the animals on earth as they are.
Me: what about all the evidence supporting evolution?
them: ha! that is just a test from God testing our faith
(or) them: God created the first animals and encouraged evolution.
me:ahhhh!

the Big Bang THEORY..see..its just a theory, and if you ca show me evidence then bring it on, as far as im aware, no one really knows what its about.

How people can believe that all the incredible complexities and diversity of this world arose from nothing, completely randomly!? If someone said to me that the Eiffel Tower appeared over night out of nothing, or bits of metal sort of evolved and over time joined together blah blah then I would think you were nuts. Same with the world. There must be a creator.

Bring on the arguments...!

Tell ya what, go have a look round h2G2, see the numerous other threads on this exact subject. It's all been said before.

There is some evidence, something to do with red light, spectrums and... i dont know, look on the internet.

Maybe god had beans for lunch! I want to know if there really could have been a "time" before the "big bang"?http://www.h2g2.com/h2g2/skins/brunel/images/buttons/cake.gif
Cake

Time is merely an illusion
Lunchtime doubly so.


Or


Time is but one dimension (the fourth) current thinking posits many more than that. Did time it exist before the big bang? Quite probably. But where within the myriad dimensions? If you think of time and space as a by product of the interaction of probabilities in the multdimensional sphere of existence then the queries about what came before and what cmes after have a wholely different meaning. We are here, this is now, anything more requires a genius to comprehend. Or religion. whichever makes sense to you.

p.s. try < cake > without the spaces between the < and 'C' and the 'e' and >

I like < tea > its my faveorite!

You see, according to the scigeeks, the universe appears to be expanding without any perimeter, See Hubble's / Reherek's Constants (which i learned of from Ursula LeGuin) which hypothesize(?) that if the universe wer not expanding; the night sky would not appear to be dark. Feedback?

Exactly. See my reply (shutupeddie)

That sounds a bit confuseing.

I consider myself to be a Zen Nihilist. Earth, Mankind, Life, The Universe, and Everything, happenns to be a monstrous bio/geo/metaphysico accident. Life has no meaning. We are all but pebbles in the tires of vehicles rolling over a highway. We either remain stuck, get thrown off (to be picked up by a vehicle in the opposite lane) or ground to dust.
The point is; there is no point.
According to L/tU/aE; Cosmically speaking, It doesn't matter if we call in sick tomorrow.
Relax.
The Universe is unfolding as it should.
Strive to be Happy

That sounds a bit hedonistic to me.