Name: Tod
Status: other
Grade: other
Location: NV
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
I read that the Universe was, at its beginning a
singularity: almost infinitely small and dense. Is the
singularity from which the Universe emerged at the Big Bang
necessarily symmetrical?
Replies:
I do not think there is any observations to answer your question. A
"singularity" implies an infinite value. This is a consequence of
the mathematical model being used. Physics is full of singularities
and infinite values. These are a result of the limitations of the
model, not what "Nature" is doing. An old classical example is the
"prediction" in a hydrogen atom, the electron orbiting a proton
should spiral into the nucleus giving rise to a "singularity". This
prediction reflects the limitation of the model. It is the model's
limitations that give rise to the problem. In the case of
cosmology, one has to respect the limitations of our models which
may break down in conditions where we have no "experience".
NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.