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Re: Space....
Forum List | Follow Ups | Post Message | Back to Thread Topics | In Response To Posted by Paul Rest/">Paul Rest on September 28, 1998 22:32:51 UTC |
At the risk of sounding arrogant I'm going to assume that when you said I know few things you meant I know a few things. If I am wrong, correct me. However falling back on your theory about our three-dimensional universe being curved in a higher spacial dimension and having finite size while going on forever, this is one of the most interesting theories in cosmology (in my opinion) but is hardly new. I really couldn't say whether it is true or not, it seems possible but would be difficult to prove without hoping in a spacecraft, firing up your special many-times-faster-than-the-speed-of-light-engines and flying off in any one direction in space. If you end up back where you started in however many years (could be thousands or trillions or more) you know the universe curves back on its self life a four-dimensional sphere, a sphere on whose surface we exist (remember that a four-dimensional surface would be three-dimensional). We may know someday, but that will likely be centuries from now. However if indeed the universe does curve back on its self this brings up some interesting ideas. If the universe is expanding and will do so forever, for example, then won't all that matter just end up right back where it started, ie. another Big Bang? There are other things I'm sure as well that are related to this, but at the moment I can't really think of any. I know a bit about this because I read a lot and think a lot. Hope this helps some. -Paul : : Space is by no means empty. While it might seem so with such words as "vacuum" and "space" (both of which imply something that is empty) being used, this is missleading. Space is more of less the foundation of reality, it was created with the big bang and expands, contracts, and moves with the universe. Space can be thought of as a four-dimensional surface (four spacial dimensions that is) in which the three dimensional objects of our reality sit. Space is all around us, yet it can be warped, contorted, twisted, spun, and torn, just like a piece of cloth. Space is also far from empty, it is alive with constant quantum flucuations with particals springing into existence then disappearing, microscopic wormholes opening and closing in an instant (more theoretical), and of course radiation from stars constantly seeping through all of this. A large object warps space, such as a star or a dense galaxy, pulls things towards it, I'm sure you've seen the two-dimensional representation of this, you know those things that look like a funnel. Well in real space, this does happen more of less but with an added dimension, as I said before three dimensional objects are sitting in (from a three-dimensional perspective), or on (from a four-dimensional perspective) a four-dimensional surface which is warped and pulled and such from influencing forces (like Captain Kirk saying "Warp speed Mr. Scott!"). I am not an expert here, so there might be many things incorrect in what I just said, but I hope it answers some of your questions. : You are keep saying that you are not an expert, : but according your posts, I must say that you : know few things about this. : So, could you tell me what do you think about : theory of finite space wrapped around 4th spatial : dimension. I have told a little story in one of my : previous posts (actually it's not my story but I : would like you to tell me what you think) : Here goes: : Maybe the Universe goes forever but it isn't : infinite. Maybe we are living in the universe : that is wrapped around 5th dimension (if the : time were 4th). : Let us imagine a plane and 2D creatures that : are living there. Those creatures doesn't know : anything but their 2 dimensions (and time as : 3rd). Now, let's bend(maybe not the right word) : that plane and create a sphere. : The 2D creatures are now living in(on) a "plane" : that goes on forever but it isn't infinite. : If they draw a lines from one point of that sphere : in every direction, the lines would meet in a : single point on other side of the sphere. : Maybe we are also living in that kind of closure : (of course 3D with time as 4th) wrapped "around" : 5th. : Tomislav
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