Thread: new question

Lets assume there a Stone in space. On its 4 sides there is no planetary/ star/ meteoritic body to attract or repel it. it is not large enough, but not small enough to be affected by EM waves in space or to be vaporized. lets suppose it is between two galaxies. as universe is expanding so we can say that distance between galaxies increases at accelerated speed. what will happen to that stone in very very long time. It will be a solitary reaper.(metaphor intended) I mean where it will go?! will it remain there until infinity.

I have assumed this scenario, I have no clue how it reached that position in space. that lonely stone.
(I have no any intention to replace stone with human, if it was even possible.)

Thanks.

I don't think your particular scenario is plausible (I think you do have to say how the Stone got "there" ) but I understand that for the universe as a whole the expansion is thought to be such that ,as a whole it cannot collapse back on itself under the influence of gravity(no Big Crunch)

I am just giving an extremely unqualified opinion so do not hold me to it please. Someone else may well contradict me or answer your question better.

Precious Siraj, you do realize the phrase 'remain there until infinity' makes no sense at all, do you not?

Originally Posted by geordief

I don't think your particular scenario is plausible (I think you do have to say how the Stone got "there" ) but I understand that for the universe as a whole the expansion is thought to be such that ,as a whole it cannot collapse back on itself under the influence of gravity(no Big Crunch)

I am just giving an extremely unqualified opinion so do not hold me to it please. Someone else may well contradict me or answer your question better.

I clearly expressed that I have assumed this. The lonely stone maybe came through a wormhole. that wormhole ceased to exist, SOMEHOW, and stone could not escape back (dont take it literally) to where it came from.
Universe is expanding, so there is no chance that stone get caught by big crunch.

Originally Posted by 甘肃人

Precious Siraj, you do realize the phrase 'remain there until infinity' makes no sense at all, do you not?

why do you think so? where will that stone go?

I just realized Bob Dylan foresaw this very problem. He even wrote a song about it. Yeah, old Bob. He'll do that.

How does it feel, how does it feel?
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone?

How does it feel, how does it feel?
To be on your own, with no direction home
A complete unknown, like a rolling stone

You say you never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say do you want to make a deal?

How does it feel, how does it feel?
To have on your own, with no direction home
Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone

When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you've got no secrets to conceal

How does it feel, ah how does it feel?
To be on your own, with no direction home
Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone?

Something will act upon it and there is something acting upon it as it sits there. A sun could explode,a galaxy could collide with another and a black hole could digest that stone so you see that stone won't ever remain stationary.

When you say "remain there" you seem to be assuming that there are some absolute coordinates in space where it could stay, which isn't true. Its position can only be defined with respect to some other galaxy or galaxies, and they are all moving relative to it. It will experience some gravitational attraction to the galaxies, even though they are very far away, and this will influence the motion of the stone, depending on how far away and how massive the galaxies are.

Originally Posted by Harold14370

When you say "remain there" you seem to be assuming that there are some absolute coordinates in space where it could stay, which isn't true. Its position can only be defined with respect to some other galaxy or galaxies, and they are all moving relative to it. It will experience some gravitational attraction to the galaxies, even though they are very far away, and this will influence the motion of the stone, depending on how far away and how massive the galaxies are.

Means , stone will be there , no matter how far galaxies surrounding it, go. I dont say that galaxies accelerate away with reference to this stone in all perfect directions so as they don't collide it. But i am interested in possible location between galaxies where expansion of universe has no noticeable effect on the lonely stone. I say stone is not immune to time-space effects.
so question is "Where it will go in ultimate scenario?" will it cease to exist? (not scientifically possible). will it be consumed by time? what about any Dimension travel? I am not happy that it should remain / go at/from that location? what science has to say about it?

Might the answer you seek be that given time the very fabric of the universe will just drift apart.. your stone will become sand granules and drift away into oblivion. Not even energy. Gravity will be gone. Atomic structure lost. Even surface tension will cease. ♪ like a rolling Stone ♪ ♫.
and I would not bet on any of it.. Hay look a stone er ... Hmm..?
and a question; As your stone has 0 motion it could just sit there getting colder and lonely, for ever.
But as it's a stone. It will not know ? . . . or will it.

Originally Posted by astromark

Might the answer you seek be that given time the very fabric of the universe will just drift apart.. your stone will become sand granules and drift away into oblivion. Not even energy. Gravity will be gone. Atomic structure lost. Even surface tension will cease. ♪ like a rolling Stone ♪ ♫.
and I would not bet on any of it.. Hay look a stone er ... Hmm..?
and a question; As your stone has 0 motion it could just sit there getting colder and lonely, for ever.
But as it's a stone. It will not know ? . . . or will it.

very thought provoking and philosophical answer. Thanks. I am in oblivion when I dare think about the future of stone.