Class Questions

Today in class I was assigned some open-ended questions about cosmology.

1. What started the big bang? What came before? Why did it begin?

It's believed that before the big bang, the universe emerged from a singularity, meaning that all gravity and density was infinite. The big bang was a massive explosion, like a supernova, but resulting in an entire universe instead of a star. What triggered this explosion was very high temperatures and densities, which eventually caused the simplest of elements to form, gravity drawing this matter together forming the first stars and first galaxies. Some may say that we are still experiencing the big bang because the universe is continuing to expand.

2. Or was it just an infinite number of big bangs?

If this is true... then the universe would be infinitely old and infinitely large. There would be no beginning and no end, the universe would just continue on forever.

3. One universe or many? Is the theory of the multiverse just too young?

One universe is the most accepted theory of space... Though, the multiverse theory has gained popularity recently. If you think about it, the earth was thought to be the center of the universe for a LONG time... People who disagreed with this were deemed crazy, many even got killed. Could this be the same for the theory of the multiverse? The theory just might be too young for our minds to grasp... 100 years from now it could be the accepted norm when talking about astronomy.

4. Does the multiverse just make it easier to understand? Is it just the easy way out?

I believe that yes, the multiverse does make it easier to understand in relation to how we think now. People don't have to explain how the universe started or how it will end, as the theory deems the multiverse as "infinite". Though I do believe as you were to analyze the concept of the multiverse further, it would be harder to understand. For example, I find it difficult trying to pick apart how exactly different universes would exist, and why there's no beginning or end. So yes, the theory is easy at the surface, but requires a level of deep thinking when trying to understand the multiple layers of the content.