Q&A

How can the universe be infinite or finite?

How can the universe be infinite or finite?

No. We do not know whether the Universe is finite or not. To give you an example, imagine the geometry of the Universe in two dimensions as a plane. It is flat, and a plane is normally infinite.

What does infinite universe mean?

It means space never ends. It’s a matrix of limitless galaxies, stars, planets, and energy. California Institute of Technology theoretical physicist Sean Carroll cautiously noted last spring that while a finite universe would be provable, scientists can never prove infinity.

How can the universe expand?

Universe Dark Energy-1 Expanding Universe The curve changes noticeably about 7.5 billion years ago, when objects in the universe began flying apart as a faster rate. Astronomers theorize that the faster expansion rate is due to a mysterious, dark force that is pulling galaxies apart.

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Who discovered the universe is infinite?

In 1929, Edwin Hubble, an astronomer at Caltech, made a critical discovery that soon led to scientific answers for these questions: he discovered that the universe is expanding. The ancient Greeks recognized that it was difficult to imagine what an infinite universe might look like.

Is the universe infinite or finite?

If the universe is infinite, it has always been infinite. At the Big Bang, it was infinitely dense. Since then it has just been getting less dense as space has expanded. Imagine a large flat rubber sheet with sand placed as closely together as possible on the sheet.

How can the universe be infinite if it started expanding?

How can the universe be infinite if it started expanding 13.8 billion years ago? If the universe is infinite, it has always been infinite. At the Big Bang, it was infinitely dense. Since then it has just been getting less dense as space has expanded. Imagine a large flat rubber sheet with sand placed as closely together as possible on the sheet.

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Is the universe infinite in size and age?

In the past, it was generally agreed upon that the Universe was either infinite in size and age, or that it was of finite size – with the dimension of time not coming about until the birth of the universe. If the latter is actually the case, any event (s) occurring before this era could have no appreciable affect on what is happening now.

Why can we ignore the existence of previous universes?

Their existence (the existence of these “previous” universes) can be ignored because they would have no observational consequences now. One may say that time had a beginning (the big bang), in the sense that earlier times simply would not be defined. In an unchanging universe, there is no physical necessity for a beginning.