TheGhostOfHarambe
101318
1627
91
Feb 3, 2017 2:16 PM
TheGhostOfHarambe
101318
1627
91
LazyLexiconographer
If it did not it would not.
Notawallplan
The universe can be both infinite and have a defined size. We just need something to compare to it.
thescottishfox
Fun story, the universe is finite.
BramStocker
lol. beyond human logic
Scienski
I posted this and got down voted like Pluto in 2006
baamalam
It's infinite BECAUSE it's constantly expanding...right?
AvaMas
Am I the only one who finds this creepy?
SeriousNonsense
Anyone that's troubled by this should look up Hilbert's paradox of the Grand Hotel. It illustrates the discrete version of this phenomenon.
WGTBaal
for some weird reason every time I hear/read "the universe is infinite" I think about the Ancients in Stargate
techknowledgey
romrres
This tickles my fuckin brain dude.
NomDeImguerre
Just like my gut.
ErosLucy
some infinities are bigger than others
railgap
I remember this alien from ST:TOS
ThePrincessBubbleButt
maybe it's infinite because it keeps expanding...
rainbowjo
I thought it was a Christmas tree.
Mortenzzz
But the universe isn't infinite
BigTittyJesus
The universe it self isn’t expanding, it stays infinite, but the planets and other stuff are moving further apart
ThisIsWhyIimgur
I think the only solution to how space can be infinite is if it doesn't actually exist and this is all a computer program-ish //the matrix
MauroSanchez
It would be amazing to be able to explore the universe
IronicUsername
You can. A very, very, VERY small part of it.
cousteau
That's the point, it's not infinite.
lemonsherbet
So if the universe constantly expands then every instant it is growing bigger, and every time we refer about the universe we're talking /1
lemonsherbet
Observe it?
lemonsherbet
About it in that instant, which has passed before we've even uttered the first syllable, so we're always talking about it in the past /2
lemonsherbet
Now everything that is expanding or changing can be defined in size by referencing its size now as what it used to be plus a "unit" so /3
lemonsherbet
Is it infinite if we know it's expanding since infinity is simply a quantity to great to measure based on the scope of the method used to/4
JohnSmithIncognito
From what I understand the universe is expanding because of the Big Bang but gravity will eventually reverse it so that it'll contract.
blueblueglassmoon
We thought this was true until 1998, but the rate of expansion is increasing despite gravity. We call the cause of this "Dark Energy."
JohnSmithIncognito
That's very interesting. So the acceleration is increasing despite negative acceleration from gravity?
blueblueglassmoon
Yep. We observed the increasing, noted that our model suggested it shouldn't be, and concluded there must be something favoring expansion.
JohnSmithIncognito
I find it fascinating how we're so certain that we've figured out the laws of physics then another natural phenomena is discovered.
blueblueglassmoon
If you haven't read it, "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" by Thomas Kuhn is a little dated, but still the landmark piece.
AlwaysCorrect
I'm infinite. You heard of hell well I was sent from it.
IndeedNot
But... that's an oximoron.
chadChadChadChadChadChad
No it's not
SpectorWillLurk
Yup, an infinite thing can't have anywhere to expand to. Nor can it have limits of any sort, or it becomes finite.
RustyNeX
not quite, there are different sizes of infinite, as crazy as that sounds.
SpectorWillLurk
You can only measure something with limits, which makes them finite. There is no edge to put your measure on infinite.
RustyNeX
144 characters is not enough space to explain so watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JrrN3vOasQ
RustyNeX
it will explain also how you can measure something without limits
TheRealHS
Isn't it the case that the universe is an expanding bubble and beyond that lies nothing, not even space?
bomboy23
Then what's it expanding into? Isn't "space" by definition an empty area that can be filled by matter?
TheRealHS
No. Space is something, not something tangible to us, but still something. Einstein called it ''Space-time''.
bomboy23
Space-time is different than space. "Space: a continuous area or expanse that is free, available, or unoccupied"
HesADandyGuy1nSpace
What if one day all the lights in the night sky just go dark and all we can see are the planets in our solar system because thats all that's
HesADandyGuy1nSpace
Left
bomboy23
Then nothing will change for us, unless you're still using the north Star to navigate
HesADandyGuy1nSpace
But still then we'd know we're totally alone
HesADandyGuy1nSpace
And it could be possible right?!? I mean technically all the light we see I the night sky takes billions of years to get here so like whatif
ZedaZ80
For them all to "disappear from the sky" at the same time, they would all have to be extinguished at different times (some billions of years
ZedaZ80
apart) in order for all of that light coming to our planet to end in sync.
bomboy23
Except all you know is you can't see them, not that they are gone. Do you think they are gone when it's cloudy?
HesADandyGuy1nSpace
Ok I clearly didn't word this well hahaha
mikeatike
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." -Albert Einstein
Karoway
I use this quote constantly at work. The second most important one-liners ol' Al spit out.
ClitKicker87
There are like a lot of things in the universe that we can see dude
ClitKicker87
There are like a lot of things in the universe that we can see dude
LagoonLeopard
There are like a lot of things in the universe that we can see dude
Yatengaki
There are 10,000,000,000,000 particles in the universe that we can observe
mjpruss
How many particles are there in the universe that we can observe?
Yatengaki
There are 10,000,000,000,000 particles in the universe that we can observe
mjpruss
How many particles are there in the universe that we can observe?
ClitKicker87
There are like a lot of things in the universe that we can see dude
Yatengaki
There are 10,000,000,000,000 particles in the universe that we can observe
cousteau
Let me guess, "an unknown error has ocurred", right?
mjpruss
How many particles are there in the universe that we can observe?
ClitKicker87
There are like a lot of things in the universe that we can see dude
ClitKicker87
There are like a lot of things in the universe that we can see dude
ClitKicker87
There are like a lot of things in the universe that we can see dude
Yatengaki
There are 10,000,000,000,000 particles in the universe that we can observe
IronicUsername
Yo mama took the ugly ones and put them into one nerd.
mjpruss
How many particles are there in the universe that we can observe?
TwistableGolf
at least 3
bomboy23
Space is infinite. The universe is not.
ThisIsWhyIimgur
This
NotAnIroningBoard
Well it's only infinite BECAUSE it's expanding. When it stops expanding, it's not infinite
notacop94
I was looking for this comment.
cousteau
It's more complicated. IIUC, the universe is not "some bunch of shit populating space"; the universe IS space. Space is limited and growing.
cousteau
An analogy I heard was that the universe was like a balloon being inflated, and stars are points drawn on its surface.
bomboy23
Universe is a galactic address, hence the multiverse theory. The word "space" literally means area with availability to be occupied
SeriousNonsense
The universe is infinite. The observable universe is not.*
cousteau
No, afaik the universe is larger than the observable universe, but still limited in size.
SeriousNonsense
What limits the universes size exactly?
bomboy23
Conservation of energy
SeriousNonsense
please explain.
cousteau
So in short, the universe may, or may not, "wrap around" itself. Most likely it doesn't though.
cousteau
Honestly, fuck if I know. After googling, it'd seem that the universe may be curved (imagine Earth surface, except 3D rather than 2D). 1/2
cousteau
However some more googling showed that the current theory is that the universe is "flat" and therefore infinite. Damn, seems I was wrong 2/2
SeriousNonsense
Heh, yeah, there are several different ways in which one might suggest the universe is "finite." Wasn't sure what we were talking about. 1/?
bubblehearth
Worry not. Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.
ICanHyperSuperDuperFistYouOnFriday
Everytime I think about this, I go insane
3point141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105
"It's all relative" Is a pretty good way to stop your head hurting
Snickaaman
Everytime I think about you I go insane
AnonOmis1000
Does anyone else get irrationally angry over these parts of science because you just cant wrap your head around it and refuse to accept it?
ConfusedAxis
And when a neutron decays to a proton it does so by emitting a particle 100 times larger than the original neutron.
decorativemooseknuckle
Entropy we are moving towards a point of homeostasis
aleister94
Every time I think of you I go blind
lpooptoomuch
what if our universe expanded into another universe?
KrisPiasek
That wouldn't be exactly expansion
aduntoridas
You can think about it as space getting less 'dense'. There aren't borders, but the density still keeps going down.
Zetor
Also, if times is standing still when you travel at the speed of light, how can photons have beginning and end.
sharpasabanana
Oh my god
Quadropillar
Well time doesn't actually stand still at the speed of light, because then light years wouldn't be valid measurement.
grammarfairy
Because time is only at a standstill to the photon's relative frame. If you could freeze time, you would still age while it's frozen, right?
sycophant92
Static is the sound of the universe growing, and that drives me insane.
rugarththegreen
About 1% or less is from the big bang- the rest is from stars, lightning, etc.
SpecimenSpiff
Turn static on your TV, 1% of that noise is radiation left over from the big bang.
BassNAss
If it wasn't expanding, would it still infinite?
KrisPiasek
"still"? xD
Isorikk
I think it's that vacuum is infinite, but not matter
ICanHyperSuperDuperFistYouOnFriday
Yup
ThePerfectCommentDoesntexi
Stop, my brain can only get so hurt.
TheBroble
Well technically there's only so much energy in the universe so our universe is finite. But if the multiverse idea is right then infinite
TheAdventuresofStealy
Negative. It's very likely the universe is infinite. It's more accurate to say there's only a certain energy density.
TheBroble
Multiple universes could be a thing.
infernalspectre
One theory is that all "alternate universes" are actually in this one, but they expand away fast enough it'd be impossible to reach them.
lonelylincolnshiresausage
Is there even an alternate universe where alternate universes don't exist.
zamirovski
Asking the real questions
zamirovski
Asking the real questions.
euphoriagrowing
Are they just travelling away from us in different "directions" that aren't euclidian? Or is it more like infinite potentialities?
infernalspectre
I believe it was the non euclidean directions but it's been a long time since I read that paper
Pantsworth6573
That just sounds like it's hitching a ride on how superclusters are all just spreading further apart from each other
infernalspectre
Possibly. If you want to read into it, I'm pretty sure Brian Greene wrote about it in one of his books
lonelylincolnshiresausage
Yes it would infinite
BanadecCamberbootch
at least two
Katamoran
Two whole infinite.
Askingforafriend37
We did it Reddit.