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quantum mechanics and relativity?
In what ways do quantum mechanics and the theory of relativity conflict with each other? Also, (two questions for the price of one) if during, or shortly after the big bang, when te universe was dense and hot, how come it didn't collapse?
These may Qs may hurt an astronomer's eyes. Sorry, I just finished an astronomy course and I am going to keep my studies going through books during my leisure time, and these were to Qs that just popped in my head.
Thanks Richard, I will. I understand that they cause expansion. But does that conflict at all with what I read about as far as being if the univers is so dense relative to the size of the universe it will collapse, and if less it will expand? Or do I have it mixed up. I will read that book.
3 Answers
- Chug-a-LugLv 71 decade agoFavorite Answer
"...In what ways do quantum mechanics and the theory of relativity conflict with each other?..."
The major difference between relativity and quantum mechanics is that in the latter it's not possible to know or even predict simultaneously both the location and velocity of subatomic particles.
"...shortly after the big bang, when te universe was dense and hot, how come it didn't collapse?..."
There can be two answers to this part of your question --
(1)At almost the same instant of the Big Bang, space underwent a period of expansion that exceeded the speed of light (..allowable under relativity because it's space expanding at that speed and not matter moving through it faster than light..)
(2)For the first several million years there was no *mass* in the universe, only spacetime and energy, therefore nothing of substance to be drawn back into the singularity by gravity.
- 1 decade ago
The conflict between relativity and quantum mechanics is much more simple than we are made to believe.
If we were to follow quantum mechanics the universe would be completely random and if we were to follow relativity the universe would be completely determined. While most of the universe follows the determination of relativity, from atoms to galactic groups, subatomic particles move around randomly, changing their speed without a use of energy, which is impossible under relativity.
At the first moment after big bang, all particles were subatomic particles, so they did not follow relativity, and were able to expand faster than the light, and so failed to collapse back on itself.
But even at a first glance you can see an "error". According to current physics, universe is either random or determined but does not give us a free will to choose. So we either don't have a free will at all, or we are missing one very important law of the universe.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
dense and hot causes EXPANSION, not collapse
G-R and Q-M are NOT compatible. they doe NOT merge smoothly into one another
read "View from the center of the universe" by Primack and abrams
when you figure it out please invite me to your Nobel Prize acceptance party
Source(s): BS physics
