I am currently doing the universe in science at school. But what he has said has totally thrown me. Apparently, most scientists reckon that at the end (or edge, if you prefer.) of the universe there is probably nothing. Zero. Darkness. Complete emptiness. How could this be? What is outside our universe? More universes? GOD? Or completely nothing?
But how could that be? What would happen if you threw an object into completely nothing? What is outside there?
Has anyone imagined EVERYTHING as in starts planets universe, being all of it just dirt under someones shoes? Maybe we are a big science experiment? We are all germs in a lab...hell maybe we are all a simulation game.
Sometimes I picture it like we are the cells inside a much bigger person, just as we have cells in ourselves, and there is stuff inside of those. But that's just a trippy thought I have sometimes.
if they see like we do using light then the universe wouldn't be dark, also the entire universe would be pulled by gravity in one direction which obviously doesn't happen
im not really sure about what's out there... but since every galaxy is moving away from eachother we just assume the universe is expanding, and since all matter that exists now was here at the beginning of the universe means that matter will eventually thin out and vanish. this may answer your question about why their may be "nothing" at the edge. but who knows if there is an edge :] i mean i know it has an edge, but the human mind cannot picture it without questiong it... ok ya im gonna quit typing...
but the human mind cannot picture it without questiong it... ok ya im gonna quit typing...
no no you're quite right. it is impossible to picture, even to imagine, the edge of the universe. its impssible to picture/imagine absolute nothingness.
look at it like this-there isnt anything beyond the edge of the universe (that is saying its not expanding faster than the speed of life). scratch that there isn't nothing it utterly doesn't exist. the universe is everything even if it is a defined size outside the universe is nonexistant
this also links to religion and the beliefs of an afterlife, we make this up because the we cannot think of a life where we ceise to exist. It's ironic that humans, the smartest race, cannot comprehend things that other animals just don't care to question, yet cannot question. I'm confusing myself i hate these threads lol...
if nothing were the case then i would have to say that you threw the object into the nothing, then there would be no recollection that there was anything there to begin with
this is all theoretical of course, but what has been put forward is that the universe is expanding. the further away from the center of the universe the faster it expands so first off you wouldn't be able to see any thing because space is expanding faster than the speed of light which also means that you aren't going to be able to throw anything fast enough to make it outside the universe.
Actually it's debated whether there is an edge to the universe. This has to do with the universe expanding faster then the speed of light.
But wouldn't the universe be expanding/growing at the speed of light, because as light enters the dark void beyond the edge, it comes into existence?
this is all theoretical of course, but what has been put forward is that the universe is expanding. the further away from the center of the universe the faster it expands so first off you wouldn't be able to see any thing because space is expanding faster than the speed of light which also means that you aren't going to be able to throw anything fast enough to make it outside the universe.
That was meant to be quoted also, from the 1st page.
this is the leading theory on the edge of the universe quantam science theory
Craig Hogan, a physicist at Fermilab Centre for Particle Astrophysics in Illinois is convinced that he has found proof in the data of the gravitational wave detector GEO600 of a holographic Universe â" and that his ideas could explain mysterious noise in the detector data that has not been explained so far. The British-German team behind the GEO600, which includes scientists from the School of Physics and Astronomy's Gravitational Physics Group, will now carry out new experiments in the coming months to yield more evidence about Craig Hogan's assumptions. If proved correct, it could help in the quest to bring together quantum mechanics and Einstein's theory of gravity. In order to test the theory of holographic noise, the frequency of GEO600´s maximum sensitivity will be shifted towards ever higher frequencies. The frequency of maximum sensitivity is the tone that the detector can hear best. It is normally adjusted to offer the best chance for hearing exploding stars or merging black holes. Even if it turns out that the mysterious noise is the same at high frequencies as at the lower ones, this will not constitute proof for Hogan's hypothesis. It would, however, provide a strong motivation for further study. The sensitivity of GEO600 will then be significantly improved by using 'squeezed vacuum' and by the installation of a mode filter in a new vacuum chamber. The technology of 'squeezed vacuum' was particularly refined in Hannover and would be used in a gravitational wave detector for the first time. Professor Jim Hough of Glasgow University, one of the pioneer developers of gravitational wave detectors, says: 'Craig Hogan made a very interesting prediction. It may be the first of a number of unexpected possibilities to be investigated as gravitational wave detectors become more sensitive.' Professor Bernard Schutz, Professor at the School of Physics and Astronomy, member of the Gravitational Physics Group at the School, and recently elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society said: "It would be truly remarkable if GEO600 is sensitive to the quantum nature of space and time. The only way to confirm that would be to carry out controlled experiments, the results of which can be solely attributed to holographic noise. Such an experiment would herald a new era in fundamental physics". Professor Dr. Karsten Danzmann, director of the Hannover Albert-Einstein-Institute, said: "We are very eager to find out what we can learn about the possible holographic noise over the course of the coming year. GEO600 is the only experiment in the world able to test this controversial theory at this time. Unlike the other large laser interferometers, GEO600 reacts particularly sensitively to lateral movement of the beam splitter because it is constructed using the principle of signal recycling. Normally this is inconvenient, but we need the signal recycling to compensate for the shorter arm lengths compared to other detectors. The holographic noise, however, produces exactly such a lateral signal and so the disadvantage becomes an advantage in this case. You could say that this has placed us in the very centre of a tornado in fundamental research! Searching for the graininess of space The smallest possible fraction of distance is called the 'Planck length" by physicists. Its value is 1.6 x 10-35 m â" this is impossible to measure by itself. The established physical theories cease to function at this scale. GEO600 scientists are testing a theory by US physicist Craig Hogan, who is convinced he can hear the noise of space quanta in the data of the gravitational wave detector GEO600. Hogan suggests that the mirrors in an interferometer wander relative to one another in very rapid steps of the tiny Planck amount, that accumulate during the time of a measurement into something as large as a gravitational wave would produce. Hogan and the GEO600 scientists are following up the question whether a certain 'noise signal' in the data recorded by the detector can be traced back to the graininess of space and time. GEO600 Because of its innovative and reliable technology, GEO 600 has gained an excellent worldwide reputation and is considered a think-tank for international gravitational wave observation. It was here that the most modern lasers in the world were developed which are being used in all the gravitational wave observatories in the world today. Researchers at GEO600 are taking technology a step further with 'squeezed vacuum'. This technology is designated for use in the third generation of gravitational wave detectors. GEO600 is a joint project of scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute, or AEI), Leibniz Universität Hannover, Cardiff University, the University of Glasgow and the University of Birmingham. It is funded jointly by the Max Planck Society in Germany and the Science and Technology Facilities Council in UK.
