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I asked a question a moment ago and I think I framed it badly, so do you mind if I try again?
Some people think that the universe in infinite (whatever that actually means), and some people think that the universe is finite (as in the size is theoretically measurable) but contains everything that does exist, so may as well be infinite.
I'm wondering if there's a way to argue that "infinity" and "everything" means the same thing.
But getting back to what some people think; if the universe is measurable, but will expand forever, then it's infinite, correct?
If the universe is expanding faster than the speed of light, then it's expanding faster than it can be measured, correct?
It's possible to expand faster than light, because it's not the same as travelling faster than light (which neutrinos might be doing anyway). The universe is not expanding into empty space. It's expanding out of existing space, correct?
Light can't escape a black hole, and it can't escape the universe.
The is not travelling anywhere, because there's nowhere for it to go.
The universe doesn't have an edge, because it doesn't have an outside.
Correct? More answers please. Thank you.
2 Answers
- Anonymous10 years agoFavorite Answer
ah, I immediately had an objection when I read, "but contains everything that does exist, so may as well be infinite" and then you revealed that you want "infinity" and "everything" to be synonymous. you seem to be arguing from a misunderstanding of what infinite means.
You are correct that the universe is not expanding into empty space. Space (and time) are part of the universe. The difficulty in thinking about the universe is we try to think of something we have experience and then "extrapolate" wrong conclusions.
The best evidence suggests the universe is "flat" with either a very small positive spatial curvature or a very small negative one. We still cannot tell whether it is infinite in volume or finite. The expansion rate is increasing, which could mean it will expand forever, however there are other possibilities.
There are numerous articles available online to further your study. wikipedia is often a good place to start, for example, see:
