Hello, this is my third (first "real") post. I have a lot of questions and am here in hopes of learning.
So, before I start I would like to say there is a good chance I have no idea what I'm talking about, if I'm totally and utterly wrong please criticize me, but please don't flame.
So I've been thinking about this a lot lately: What IS the universe? Did the big bang create it? What IS time and did it exist before the big bang?
I have heard quite a few people state that time did not exist before the big bang, it was created by it along with the universe. I have to say I don't understand this. Surely, both time and the universe must be infinite in all respects? Because of the definition of the "universe" : "All existing matter and space considered as a whole; the cosmos." surely it can have no edge, because whatever is beyond said edge, even void would be considered part of the "universe." Therefor I can only conclude that the big bang happened WITHIN the universe, and simply created/released matter and energy, and that it's likely that, out in the universe, other big bangs have occurred?
As for time; is time not a human construct? To my knowledge it doesn't really "exist" therefor it cannot have beginning or an end, right? Furthermore in a system, if there is no time, there can be no change; surely this would mean that in order for the big bang to have happened time must have existed prior to it?
And lastly: Is the matter, energy, IPM etc that was created by the big bang infinite, if so, why? I'm not saying I would know better but, why would it be? I also don't understand this. Surely it would just be extremely large but finite?
The way I've always thought about it is that the universe and time are both infinite in all respects (after all if the universe is finite, what is beyond it? And why isn't that, even if it is just nothingness considered to be a part of it), the big bang simply happened at a finite point within the universe, and generated a finite amount of energy and matter: Which is our particular, "Local universe," (for want of a better expression.) Beyond which is, well, whatever was there before the big bang, and beyond that probably an infinite number of other "Local Universes" created by similar events.
Also I have heard of the idea that, no matter where you are in the universe, things appear to be moving away from you. How can this be? If two people were on opposite sides of the same body (say a planet or large rock,) for this to hold true, they must both observe the body moving towards the other one. Even if they are both also moving with the expansion of the universe how can they both be observing the same body to have direct opposite velocity's?
That's all for now, I'm sure I'll be back later to further terrorize people with my scientific ineptitude.![]()