Poll: The Big bang theory, Do you think its true?

[Lullabye]

does that mean energy is also affected by gravity?

Yes, Einstein did work to show that light is affected by the gravity from bodies of matter.

And does gravity stop having an effect after a certain distance?

The further you are from the body of matter, the less its gravity affects you. That's why there's so little gravity in space.

It may be worth noting that the classical notion of newtonian gravity is incorrect, and that large bodies of matter bend space-time (fabric of the universe) around them, causing even massless photons to have an altered path of motion.
The newtonian model (while a fairly good approximation of gravity) claims that gravitational force is a property dependent on the mass of a point object (ie a massless photon would experience no gravitational force.) This is simpler to understand, and is typically taught first to give laypersons an idea of how gravity works. In this approximation, gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the point object and the source object. Essentially then, this gravitational force would extend throughout all space. This means that you are currently being attracted to every single other mass in the entire universe at the same time through gravitational attraction, but a close massive object like the earth has hundreds of thousands times more effect on you than even the sun, which has the mass of over 300,000 earths. Because of this, we treat very distant objects as having a negligible gravitational effect relative closer massive objects.

huh, i figured as much.(forgive my inability to produce such linguistic skill as your own.)
now I have one question, I always thought matter couldnt exist without mass? So this mass-less photon is news to me. do you know any websites that could explain this to me and link them?

 

[Calatar]

i realize that, but does it ever completely stop? i know we dont really understand gravity and it's properties but do we know if it ever really stops?
and thanks for clarifying the energy thing.

It NEVER stops. It continues as long as space continues, it is just that the effect becomes so entirely negligible relative closer bodies that we stop seeing its effects on a scale we can comprehend and care about. Even the most distant bodies in the universe exert a force on you, and you exert a force on them. You wouldn't care if that body was exerting a force less than a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth (etc) of a Newton of force on you, because at that point, a nearby atom could be exerting that much force on you.
EDIT: whoops, messed up the quote, fixed it.
EDIT EDIT: Looks like you already got the point. nvm

 

[Lullabye]

i realize that, but does it ever completely stop? i know we dont really understand gravity and it's properties but do we know if it ever really stops?
and thanks for clarifying the energy thing.

It NEVER stops. It continues as long as space continues, it is just that the effect becomes so entirely negligible relative closer bodies that we stop seeing its effects on a scale we can comprehend and care about. Even the most distant bodies in the universe exert a force on you, and you exert a force on them. You wouldn't care if that body was exerting a force less than a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth (etc) of a Newton of force on you, because at that point, a nearby atom could be exerting that much force on you.
EDIT: whoops, messed up the quote, fixed it.

hmmm, now i have another question. does gravity travel? you said it continues as long as space but does that mean its just there or does it travel like energy?

 

[smooshable]

Can I suggest another option for the poll?

"The Big Bang Theory is currently the best explanation for the universe."

I think you'd find if you really pushed most scientists (in this field) that is what they'd say. For the record I agree with them.

 

[lostclause]

You've misunderstood it. It wasn't a bang, that was a name made up by detractors (people who believed in a steady state universe). It was an expansion from a singularity. Search up Red Shift for evidence of the big bang.

I know. but that singularity contained within it all matter and energy.(or at least the makings of) as such does it not make sense that energy/matter of universe totaled is equal to the energy/matter of the singularity?

I'm not sure since that singularity also affected time (which I know gravity does, but I don't know about a singularity ie beyond the event horizon of a black hole)

 

[Church256]

Well...
I doubt that there was nothing before the Big Bang, because that breaks physical law. There's a better theory I've heard which states that the universe goes in cycles: Everything is pulled into singularities which eventually merge, & electrostatic repulsion balances out the gravity & you get a Big Bang. Rinse & repeat.

I think some scientist need your help because this makes absolute sense and I have never ever heard these words uttered by any scientist.

 

[Lullabye]

You've misunderstood it. It wasn't a bang, that was a name made up by detractors (people who believed in a steady state universe). It was an expansion from a singularity. Search up Red Shift for evidence of the big bang.

I know. but that singularity contained within it all matter and energy.(or at least the makings of) as such does it not make sense that energy/matter of universe totaled is equal to the energy/matter of the singularity?

I'm not sure since that singularity also affected time (which I know gravity does, but I don't know about a singularity ie beyond the event horizon of a black hole)

off to wiki then....

 

[Zacharine]

i realize that, but does it ever completely stop? i know we dont really understand gravity and it's properties but do we know if it ever really stops?
and thanks for clarifying the energy thing.

It NEVER stops. It continues as long as space continues, it is just that the effect becomes so entirely negligible relative closer bodies that we stop seeing its effects on a scale we can comprehend and care about. Even the most distant bodies in the universe exert a force on you, and you exert a force on them. You wouldn't care if that body was exerting a force less than a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth (etc) of a Newton of force on you, because at that point, a nearby atom could be exerting that much force on you.
EDIT: whoops, messed up the quote, fixed it.

hmmm, now i have another question. does gravity travel? you said it continues as long as space but does that mean its just there or does it travel like energy?

First off, gravity is not like sunlight or electricity or any other form of energy or matter that 'travels' anywhere.

Rather, gravity exists as bending of space-time. For this remarkable observation we have Einstein to thank. Think of space-time as a flat piece of paper you hold taut between your hands. Now put a marble on it. The paper bends as the marbe pushes it down, but remains taut at the edges near your hands. That bending is gravity, the marble is mass. The larger the marble, the larger the bend.

This is as close an analogy as I can give right after waking up.

Now, OT: Yes, I think that is pretty much the way it happened. Sure, details are debatable, but I don't think anyone can seriously deny Big Bang. It is the only theory that explains all available data (such as cosmic background radiation, constantly expanding universe, abundance of hydrogen with small amounts of helium populating the universe etc.) Certainly Big Bang theory might be disproven someday, but considering the amount of evidence behind it I think any possible new theory would incorporate some kind of rapid expansion of space at the beginning of time.

 

[Fritzvalt]

I agree with the big bang theory, however, not as you presented it. Yes, after a certain distance the gravity of one object will cease to affect another object (and vice-versa). That distance is dependent on both object's size and density (The latter more than the former). However, that point is moot. As evidenced by the movement of galaxies, solar systems and other comsic bodies, the universe is expanding. This is not really a result of gravity (Unless you count reverse [Anti] gravity), but more of that particular "Bang," and the lack of friction is space. Honestly, the whole shebang is unproven (Hence, theory), and still not completely understood. Was this bang caused by a unit of mass that was to small to accomadate it's own density and energy? Will this universal expansion cease at some point and reverse? If so, will this whole thing happen again? If that's so, than how many times has this happend before?

In short, the big bang theory is still a work in progress, but I like to believe we're on the right track.

 

[RandV80]

From my non-scientific understanding, the core principle behind the Big Bang Theory is that through astronomical observation that the universe around us seems to be expanding outwards, so one would deduce that it all started from a central point. The former is what the science behind the theory backs. Where it came from or how it happened, is completely up in the air, with no links to atheism or theism. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the Roman Catholic Church was one of the early founders/backers of the Big Bang, with of course God being the how & why behind it. So really it's not a matter of science vs religion unless you personally want to make it one.

One thing that does confuse me about it though, is where they get this '13 billion years old' number from. In one of those neat space slide shows you can find online, looks at a tiny little empty spot they pointed the Hubble space telescope at for a few months, and the image of numerous galaxies they got back from it. How far away are these galaxies? 8 billion light years, so what we see now is how they appeared 8 billion light years. I have a hard time wrapping my head around how something can be 8 billion light years away from us yet the universe is only 13 billion years old, considering we all started from the same point.

 

[Lullabye]

i realize that, but does it ever completely stop? i know we dont really understand gravity and it's properties but do we know if it ever really stops?
and thanks for clarifying the energy thing.

It NEVER stops. It continues as long as space continues, it is just that the effect becomes so entirely negligible relative closer bodies that we stop seeing its effects on a scale we can comprehend and care about. Even the most distant bodies in the universe exert a force on you, and you exert a force on them. You wouldn't care if that body was exerting a force less than a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth (etc) of a Newton of force on you, because at that point, a nearby atom could be exerting that much force on you.
EDIT: whoops, messed up the quote, fixed it.

hmmm, now i have another question. does gravity travel? you said it continues as long as space but does that mean its just there or does it travel like energy?

First off, gravity is not like sunlight or electricity or any other form of energy or matter that 'travels' anywhere.

Rather, gravity exists as bending of space-time. For this remarkable observation we have Einstein to thank. Think of space-time as a flat piece of paper you hold taut between your hands. Now put a marble on it. The paper bends as the marbe pushes it down, but remains taut at the edges near your hands. That bending is gravity, the marble is mass. The larger the marble, the larger the bend.

This is as close an analogy as I can give right after waking up.

Now, OT: Yes, I think that is pretty much the way it happened. Sure, details are debatable, but I don't think anyone can seriously deny Big Bang. It is the only theory that explains all available data (such as cosmic background radiation, abundance of hydrogen with small amounts of helium populating the universe etc.)

6thank you! I never really knew how to regard gravity up till now. but i think i ge the idea. kept trying to fit it somehow under energy asa category. I still dont understand some things but its still a little clearer(i think). As for the theory.....well, it explains most if not all we know now, but that may change in the future. So I guess we're no worse off believing it now right?

 

[Booze Zombie]

I don't assume that we know everything, such a state of being will probably be beyond us for quite some time, but I do like to think that "The Big Bang Theory" is one of the better scientific theories out there, so... yes, I believe that, roughly, The Big Bang Theory is correct.

Like how when I climb a tree I roughly gauge the height.
Now, there will be some difference between the approximation and the actuality, but most of the important stuff that I need to know about the tree is now in my mind.

 

[4fromK]

when someone, using a theory, predicts the existence of something that is impossible to detect with the current technology, then years later the technology is developed and the existence of the prediction confirmed, then I think that makes that theory pretty solid. (I'm talking about CBR)

 

[Zacharine]

6thank you! I never really knew how to regard gravity up till now. but i think i ge the idea. kept trying to fit it somehow under energy asa category. I still dont understand some things but its still a little clearer(i think). As for the theory.....well, it explains most if not all we know now, but that may change in the future. So I guess we're no worse off believing it now right?

Not a problem.

Seriously, these things are explained in fairly good detail and with commonplace terminology in a few good books. Personally I'd recommend 'A brief history of time: From the Big Bang to black holes' by Stephen Hawking. The book is a tad old, seeing as it's from 1988, but the basic observations hold true and he does explain gravity and it's effects and tricks quite well. For a more concentrated look into modern theoretical physics, see the 'Universe in a nutshell', by Hawking once again. It pretty much takes the Brief History Of Time, checks out what has changed since then and attempts to explain it. It came out in 2001.

But beware, the Universe In a Nutshell talks about Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem and P-branes of superstring theory. It can be quite heavy to read.

 

[Calatar]

huh, i figured as much.(forgive my inability to produce such linguistic skill as your own.)
now I have one question, I always thought matter couldnt exist without mass? So this mass-less photon is news to me. do you know any websites that could explain this to me and link them?

A photon isn't exactly matter, it is a specific energy quantity, of electromagnetic radiation. EM radiation includes light, radio-waves, gamma rays etc, and can be described as collapsing and recreating magnetic and electric fields which travel through space at the speed of light (in a vacuum anyways). I've forgotten a bit of what I've learned about them, currently in electromagnetism physics, but the electric field, as it collapses, creates a magnetic field which stores all the energy the electric field is putting into it as it collapses. The magnetic field then contains all the energy, but it too collapses and re-creates the electric field. At any point in time, the sum of the energy from the two fields is equal to the energy of the photon. These fields grow and collapse through space, so there is a speed and direction to each photon.
A photon behaves as both a wave and a particle, which can be somewhat incredibly confusing. (not that that is important as for what you are asking) However as it is not really "matter" but only energy, it contains no mass, which is indeed a property of matter.

The Higgs-Boson particle, or the "God" particle, that physicists are trying to discover in the LHC, is theorized to be a particle which grants matter its mass. Without it, matter too would travel through space at the speed of light, according to the theory, as all massless particles do this. This particle is theorized to be missing in photons and present in some other elementary particles.

Sadly I do not have any great websites to recommend, though I am sure some good ones exist. I've gained my knowledge through asking questions and listening to physics professors talk about such subjects, as well as tidbits of information from other classes (esp. Math), random google searches for specific information, and at times even Wikipedia (which is incredibly difficult to decipher with high-level science/math articles)

 

[scrambledeggs]

And does gravity stop having an effect after a certain distance?

No.

And on topic, I guess I believe it. There's evidence there to support the theory (red shift, etc).

You can launch something to infinity, though. there's a brainsore.

All my scientific knowledge has pretty much already been stated.. but I might input that in thinking about gravity as similar to electrical fields and their attraction, some concepts might be simpler to understand.

 

[Doctor_Insano]

The big bang theory is a theory: something that has not been proven. At most it can be considered an "educated guess".

 

[Lullabye]

huh, i figured as much.(forgive my inability to produce such linguistic skill as your own.)
now I have one question, I always thought matter couldnt exist without mass? So this mass-less photon is news to me. do you know any websites that could explain this to me and link them?

A photon isn't exactly matter, it is a specific energy quantity, of electromagnetic radiation. EM radiation includes light, radio-waves, gamma rays etc, and can be described as collapsing and recreating magnetic and electric fields which travel through space at the speed of light (in a vacuum anyways). I've forgotten a bit of what I've learned about them, currently in electromagnetism physics, but the electric field, as it collapses, creates a magnetic field which stores all the energy the electric field is putting into it as it collapses. The magnetic field then contains all the energy, but it too collapses and re-creates the electric field. At any point in time, the sum of the energy from the two fields is equal to the energy of the photon. These fields grow and collapse through space, so there is a speed and direction to each photon.
A photon behaves as both a wave and a particle, which can be somewhat incredibly confusing. (not that that is important as for what you are asking) However as it is not really "matter" but only energy, it contains no mass, which is indeed a property of matter.

The Higgs-Boson particle, or the "God" particle, that physicists are trying to discover in the LHC, is theorized to be a particle which grants matter its mass. Without it, matter too would travel through space at the speed of light, according to the theory, as all massless particles do this. This particle is theorized to be missing in photons and present in some other elementary particles.

Sadly I do not have any great websites to recommend, though I am sure some good ones exist. I've gained my knowledge through asking questions and listening to physics professors talk about such subjects, as well as tidbits of information from other classes (esp. Math), random google searches for specific information, and at times even Wikipedia (which is incredibly difficult to decipher with high-level science/math articles)

crap, i feel retarded. I already knew what a photon was, I just forgot. damn. Also, this is the first time ive had electromagnetic field changes explained in coherent manner so thank you. And now that i think about it...it is odd that matter cant move at light speed yet energy can.

 

[ben---neb]

*Waves Creation flag around*

*Ducks and waits for the missiles*

 

[Calatar]

hmmm, now i have another question. does gravity travel? you said it continues as long as space but does that mean its just there or does it travel like energy?

This is a good question. If matter suddenly sprung into existence at a point, it would create a gravitational field. This gravitational field would propagate out into space at the speed of light according to Einstein's theory of general relativity.
Sorry for this physicist explanation, but as I don't understand it perfectly myself, it's the best thing I have to go on. Forgive the confusing abstraction.
Think of it like this: space-time is a sheet spread flat. Think of a large mass as a bowling ball dropped on that sheet. Nearby the bowling ball, the sheet will become indented. Objects nearby the bowling ball start to slide down near the bowling ball (gravitational attraction). If that ball moves, it begins changing the indentation of sheet, starting with the space nearest to it. This creates a "ripple" effect throughout the sheet moving at the speed of light, as the sheet changes its shape to accommodate the new position of the bowling ball, though not instantaneously.