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Groups > sci.physics.relativity > #675178
| From | ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) |
|---|---|
| Newsgroups | sci.physics.relativity |
| Subject | Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? |
| Date | 2026-10-28 09:28 +0000 |
| Organization | Stefan Ram |
| Message-ID | <finite-20261028101748@ram.dialup.fu-berlin.de> (permalink) |
| References | <11bs07v$1464k$1@dont-email.me> |
amirjf <amirjfnin@aim.com> wrote or quoted: >Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? I am not able apply to idea of "to make sense" to the universe here. The universe does not seem to care whether it makes sense to us, just think of quantum theory! But I think before modern cosmology, people often imagined finite spheres around the world. Since everything you have ever seen is finite, it would be natural to assume that everything is finite. Infinity belongs to math, not physics, and there it could be seen as a kind of simplification. Camille Flammarion seems to have imagined that the dome with the stars has an edge, so is finite, beyond which is the world of the abstract laws guiding it (my interpretation). (The Flammarion engraving shows a traveler who pokes his head and shoulders through the star-studded "firmament" [the solid dome of the sky]. By doing so, he looks out at the wondrous cosmic machinery, swirling fires, and suns of the Empyrean realm beyond. [Though many people mistake it for a Renaissance-era woodcut from the 1500s because of its antique style, its historical origin defi- nitely dates back to 1888.]) In general relativity, you cannot look at coordinates to measure physical lengths, but must instead use the metric tensor. Near a black hole's event horizon coordinate-lengths can become infinite while the physical length according to the metric remains finite. Conversely, true physical infinities in the metric do occur at the central gravitational singularity.
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Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? amirjf <amirjfnin@aim.com> - 2026-10-28 01:12 -0400
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2026-10-28 00:48 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Mikko <mikko.levanto@iki.fi> - 2026-10-28 11:21 +0200
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Maciej Woźniak <mlwozniak@wp.pl> - 2026-10-28 10:39 +0100
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2026-10-28 08:27 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2026-10-28 08:47 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) - 2026-10-31 13:25 +0000
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? "Chris M. Thomasson" <chris.m.thomasson.1@gmail.com> - 2026-11-02 15:28 -0800
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? "Chris M. Thomasson" <chris.m.thomasson.1@gmail.com> - 2026-11-02 15:30 -0800
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2026-11-02 16:17 -0800
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Johnny LaRue <xxxxxx@yyyyyy.zzz> - 2026-11-02 20:20 -0500
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2026-11-02 16:10 -0800
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) - 2026-10-28 09:28 +0000
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Maciej Woźniak <mlwozniak@wp.pl> - 2026-10-28 10:42 +0100
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-10-28 13:40 +0100
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Maciej Woźniak <mlwozniak@wp.pl> - 2026-10-28 13:47 +0100
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? HenryWilson <Hgw@home.com> - 2026-10-28 18:04 +0000
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2026-10-28 11:31 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2026-10-28 12:09 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? HenryWilson <Hgw@home.com> - 2026-10-28 22:37 +0000
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2026-10-28 17:31 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? HenryWilson <Hgw@home.com> - 2026-10-28 18:58 +0000
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2026-10-29 21:44 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2026-10-30 06:47 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2026-10-30 14:14 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2026-10-30 18:31 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2026-10-30 20:45 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2026-10-31 07:06 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2026-10-31 07:37 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2026-10-31 11:49 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2026-10-31 13:48 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2026-10-31 14:06 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Blaine <cactus_DAC@yahoo.com> - 2026-11-01 15:44 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2026-11-01 17:06 -0800
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2026-11-01 17:20 -0800
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2026-11-02 01:25 -0800
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2026-10-31 21:28 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2026-11-01 07:17 -0800
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2026-11-01 11:39 -0800
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Blaine <cactus_DAC@yahoo.com> - 2026-11-01 15:36 -0700
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2026-11-03 16:54 +0100
Re: Which makes more sense: a finite or infinite universe? Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2026-11-03 08:42 -0800
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