Physics Smart Guys Question (chingon)

[steve dave]

So, big bang/god/whatever came first:  What came before them and how do you explain it?  When I was a little kid I used to ask my pastor where god came from and was told, "He was always there" which I just blindly accepted like a retard.  Seems like there should be an explanation on where the first thing came from or something.  Blows my mind because no matter what you say you can still ask where that came from.  I guess the problem I have is understanding infinity.  Do physicists have a way to explain infinity so I can understand it?  Seems hard, you know.  

[KITNfury]

I've thought about this many times. Regardless of your scientific/religious beliefs, I don't think it can really be explained. I think the major obstacle is that we are not wired to understand infinity backwards. I mean, it's pretty easy to think that there will always be "something" in space from now to infinity, but it's difficult to think that there was something in space from now to negative infinity. Everything in our life has some starting point, everything. I don't think we can justify something as to not having some sort of beginning. It defies logic, thus can't be explained.

[steve dave]

Surely Neil deGrasse Tyson has addressed this subject at some point.  I usually understand complicated things when he explains them. 

[Saulbadguy]

We always said things like "infinity plus 1!!!"

[steve dave]

We always said things like "infinity plus 1!!!"

infinity times infinity was my go to one-upper

[yoga-lika_abana]

I like to think that maybe God was a King in his time or something and he had some really great author tell his story but he fabricated it all kindof like those old Wild West nickel and dime stories where maybe he did something great but then it got blown up into a tall tale and then the author went nuts with it and the tale kept growing and then more and more people added onto the story and it turned into a morale story to try and make people feel bad about doing bad things to other ppl.
make sense?.

[Chingon]

So, big bang/god/whatever came first:  What came before them and how do you explain it?  When I was a little kid I used to ask my pastor where god came from and was told, "He was always there" which I just blindly accepted like a retard.  Seems like there should be an explanation on where the first thing came from or something.  Blows my mind because no matter what you say you can still ask where that came from.  I guess the problem I have is understanding infinity.  Do physicists have a way to explain infinity so I can understand it?  Seems hard, you know. 

Well...
Nothing we can talk about about in a any meaningful way happened before the Big Bang.  Space-time, and all of the matter in the Universe was created in that instant.  Nothing "physical" existed before the Big Bang because there was no -before- the Big Bang (at least as far as current physics can tell us anything about).

Now onto more speculative ideas. There has been some talk and papers published on the quantum loop theory of gravity (not really important to know what it is) that purports to be able to deal with the mathematical difficulties of looking at T=0 (when the BB occured) and before that.  But is far from anything being tested.  The general idea is that the Big Bang is the aftermath of a Big Crunch (in effect the Big Bang is a Big Bounce) of a previous Universe.

 

[highway61]

SD,

The problem you are asking about is what physics guys call "the singularity."  The thing about the singularity, is not only do we know nothing about what caused it, most people believe we will never know.

This is what I remember from "a brief history of time"

[Broadway46]

So, big bang/god/whatever came first:  What came before them and how do you explain it?  When I was a little kid I used to ask my pastor where god came from and was told, "He was always there" which I just blindly accepted like a retard.  Seems like there should be an explanation on where the first thing came from or something.  Blows my mind because no matter what you say you can still ask where that came from.  I guess the problem I have is understanding infinity.  Do physicists have a way to explain infinity so I can understand it?  Seems hard, you know.  

I always think about this. It's enlightening, but very frustrating. It's also weird to try to think about a time when nothing existed. There almost has to be something. Existence is inevitable.

[WillieWannabe]

All I got is Faith...that's all I need.

[jthutch]

My question is who cares and why does it really matter to us?  We are not going to go back there, and even if someone does understand and think they know what happened no body will know for sure so why worry about it?

[steve dave]

My question is who cares

Me, for one.  You go warm up your tractor while I try to find the answers to all existence.

[yoga-lika_abana]

You know what depresses me, thinking about getting old. Srsly alzheimers, catheters, parkinsons, strokes all that sh1t is scary.

[FelixRex]

So, big bang/god/whatever came first:  What came before them and how do you explain it?  When I was a little kid I used to ask my pastor where god came from and was told, "He was always there" which I just blindly accepted like a retard.  Seems like there should be an explanation on where the first thing came from or something.  Blows my mind because no matter what you say you can still ask where that came from.  I guess the problem I have is understanding infinity.  Do physicists have a way to explain infinity so I can understand it?  Seems hard, you know. 

Well...
Nothing we can talk about about in a any meaningful way happened before the Big Bang.  Space-time, and all of the matter in the Universe was created in that instant.  Nothing "physical" existed before the Big Bang because there was no -before- the Big Bang (at least as far as current physics can tell us anything about).

Now onto more speculative ideas. There has been some talk and papers published on the quantum loop theory of gravity (not really important to know what it is) that purports to be able to deal with the mathematical difficulties of looking at T=0 (when the BB occured) and before that.  But is far from anything being tested.  The general idea is that the Big Bang is the aftermath of a Big Crunch (in effect the Big Bang is a Big Bounce) of a previous Universe.

 

fire up the perpetual motion machine. That's what I say.

[Thin Blue Line]

You know what depresses me, thinking about getting old. Srsly alzheimers, catheters, parkinsons, strokes all that sh1t is scary.

Don't forget about being able to grab young women's asses, and being able to get away with it because you're old.
 

[Thin Blue Line]

Back to the main question, it's hard to say, and there isn't anyone (on this site) with an IQ high enough to get it done. It's possible that at T=0, this universe was created inside another universe, or even between two multi-verses. Never know, but kinda fun to ponder.

[Pike]

Back to the main question, it's hard to say, and there isn't anyone (on this site) with an IQ high enough to get it done. It's possible that at T=0, this universe was created inside another universe, or even between two multi-verses. Never know, but kinda fun to ponder.

I watched something on National Geographic or History channel or something that suggested this...crazy stuff

[jeffy]

We always said things like "infinity plus 1!!!"

infinity times infinity was my go to one-upper

Well infinity to the infinity power to you!   

[Dirty Sanchez]

I'm pretty sure there was always mangino and charlie weis.  Then one day they bumped into each other and 'BANG!"

[FelixRex]

In college, I remember arguing that before anything existed, nothing existed, and if nothing existed, then it must have been possible for nothing to be.

Then I said "See, Dad. It is possible to do nothing with your life."

[steve dave]

I just don't think it's possible for nothing to exist.  How do you get a catalyst to have something if you have nothing?  Also, curious as to if the Big Crunch/Bang gets smaller each time like a ball bouncing.  And, to that point, where did the crunch/bang come from?  Just always been some universe crunching and banging?  Had to start somewhere, right? 

[hemmy]

∞ + (-∞) = NAN

[Fledermaus]

I just don't think it's possible for nothing to exist.  How do you get a catalyst to have something if you have nothing?  Also, curious as to if the Big Crunch/Bang gets smaller each time like a ball bouncing.  And, to that point, where did the crunch/bang come from?  Just always been some universe crunching and banging?  Had to start somewhere, right?  

If nothing exists, there is also no "where" or "when"  

That's why real science is limited to the observable world and that which can be directly inferred from it.  Going beyond this is metaphysics (or wild speculation if you prefer) even when done by a physicist.

[FelixRex]

I just don't think it's possible for nothing to exist.  How do you get a catalyst to have something if you have nothing?  Also, curious as to if the Big Crunch/Bang gets smaller each time like a ball bouncing.  And, to that point, where did the crunch/bang come from?  Just always been some universe crunching and banging?  Had to start somewhere, right? 

Helps me sleep at night:

[steve dave]

I just don't think it's possible for nothing to exist.  How do you get a catalyst to have something if you have nothing?  Also, curious as to if the Big Crunch/Bang gets smaller each time like a ball bouncing.  And, to that point, where did the crunch/bang come from?  Just always been some universe crunching and banging?  Had to start somewhere, right? 

Helps me sleep at night:

Yeah, it's turtles all the way down.

[FelixRex]

You know what else really, really creeps me out in the same way? Infinite space.

[steve dave]

You know what else really, really creeps me out in the same way? Infinite space.

I would be very interested to see what the outer boundary of the expanding/contracting universe is like. 

[ltrain37]

 

[FelixRex]

You know what else really, really creeps me out in the same way? Infinite space.

I would be very interested to see what the outer boundary of the expanding/contracting universe is like. 

In my head, I picture a flat edge and a "here be dragons" warning.

And doesn't there have to be something on the other side of the edge of the universe? It can't just be like the outer wall in the Truman show.

[steve dave]

And doesn't there have to be something on the other side of the edge of the universe? It can't just be like the outer wall in the Truman show.

I mean, if there's something past it then it's a pretty sh1tty "edge"