Is the Universe Infinite?

Until we prove or dis-prove the higgs particle we’re more or less flying blind.

I did not know that. Thanks for enlightening me. Well, I can’t really say much more about this, I don’t know enough about it in detail.

Although if gravity is anything like voltage, it is zero when the distance equals infinity. I don’t know if it is or not, just pointing that out.

From what I understand from documentaries 'bout the universe it is made of shiny CGI and voiced over by vapid celebrities who don’t really know what they are talking about.

That is a very interesting theory.
The String theory predicts the existence of small “circular” dimensions of space. So you could ask the question, why those three big dimensions of space (which we are all aware of) wouldn’t be like that. In fact nobody really knows.
But if those dimensions have the shape of a circle, you could go even further and ask if time is also a circle, because time and space are very similar (something that Einstein found out). That would mean that the universe starts and ends with the big bang and thus cannot be infinite if the radius of that circle is finite.

In the complex plane, it is very easy to transform a line into a circle and vice versa.

To get your head around the idea of infinite universe, you must first properley understand infinity (maths wise).

Also, seth, are you talking about the singularity when you talk of the small circular objects in space?

Not singularities. It’s hard to explain, but this talk (held by Brian Greene) could help to understand:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtdE662eY_M

It’s the clearest explanation on the topic I’ve seen so far. After watching it, I bought one of his books (The elegant Universe) to dig deeper into it.

Something about redshift and the universe expanding faster than the speed of light therefore making it infinite.

I sure as hell don’t know, but I’d like to.

Well, gravity tends zero as the distance tends to infinite, the same works for voltage, if that is what you are asking. It is impossible to know the actual gravity on an infinite distance because you can never put two objects within an infinite distance from each other to measure the gravity they suffer from each other.

But how can there be gravity at an infinite distance, if the universe itself is finite? That would only work, if gravity has a limited velocity (less or equal than the speed of light), which is what many scientist think, afaik.

if the universe is finite. You can’t pass its borders or you would simply disappear because Nothing exists beyond the universe. But something is true: The universe is getting larger.

There is no infinite distance. Think about it this way. Say you reached the imaginary infinite distance ( impossible, but just try to visualize here ). So you traveled infinity away from a specific point? Since you simply get further and further from a specific point you can be an infinite distance, because you start at a real point. There is no start point for an infinite area. You just get further and further from a specific point, where the force of gravity is essentially zero…but not quite.

Say you left the United States and reached infinity, then someone else in china jumped two feet off the ground. Are they infinity + 2 feet from you?

The expansion is intrinsic. The universe isn’t as much getting larger as much as stretching out, it’s hard to explain.

This plane of reality is not infinite, but it’s amazingly huge.

Infinity is a concept, not a number.
AKA: Infinity+2 = infinity
Infinity+infinity=infinity
Infinity -infinity= infinity
etc.

It’s not infinite, that would kinda be against the first law of thermodynamics “i think, i dont know i’m not a scientist”

Yes, that is the point of what I was saying. If a point exists you can never be an infinite distance from it. The concept of infinity requires there to be no beginning point and no end.

Actually Infinity - infinity is not defined because no definition for it would possibly make sense.

In practice we will never be able to test this, so it doesn’t make a difference which side of this discussion wins.

i thought we were passing time here :3

Sorry for ruining your hobby :3

Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.