Theories Please!

[Apollo459]

I am looking into scientific, and more directly, astronomical theories. Anything from Planet X to Why did earth begin. No theory is unacceptable. My hope is to discuss and learn about each one.

I'll share one: Universal Lensing.

While watching a documentary on Youtube, I noted a comment mentioning that the only reason the universe seems to be expanding is a lensing effect. The further we look, the further we seem to be able to see.

Pros: May be caused by unknown matter. (Dark)                       Cons: Fails to give a reason for lensing. (I.E what makes the "lens")

Explains why the universe looks to be expanding.                                Doesn't explain why galaxies seem to have sped up over the years.

These are just a few, please leave all your theories and have fun.

- Apollo

 

 

[Apollo459]

I am looking into scientific, and more directly, astronomical theories. Anything from Planet X to Why did earth begin. No theory is unacceptable. My hope is to discuss and learn about each one.

I'll share one: Universal Lensing.

While watching a documentary on Youtube, I noted a comment mentioning that the only reason the universe seems to be expanding is a lensing effect. The further we look, the further we seem to be able to see.

Pros: May be caused by unknown matter. (Dark)                       Cons: Fails to give a reason for lensing. (I.E what makes the "lens")

Explains why the universe looks to be expanding.                                Doesn't explain why galaxies seem to have sped up over the years.

These are just a few, please leave all your theories and have fun.

- Apollo

Sorry, thats supposed to be how did the universe.

[John]

We have a section dedicated to this sort of discussion so I'll move this thread into that section but leave a link to it here so it can be found easily.

You might like to take a look at the threads already running in that section as there may well be something to interest you there 

[Apollo459]

Thanks, I didn't know.

[Twiggles]

May be it isn't expanding It's taken 13.7 billion years for the light to reach us, whats to say that the universe hasn't already started contracting and that we're just waiting to see the visible effects of that? I still find it mind boggling that every time I look at andromeda its actually closer than it appears.

[JulianO]

Lensing doesn't really show much about the expanding universe. It does show good evidence for dark matter, and also helps us see better to more distant objects. 

Expansion information comes more from redshift measurements and CMB data. 

[Qualia]

That the dimensionality of spacetime is in fact a projection of lower-order information encoded into 2-dimensional space. That is, our 4D universe is projected from a 2D surface. Everything about us and all that we know and love are in fact holograms

[Kropster]

Just an observation... but you need to be very careful about what you chose as an informed source on YouTube... might be better kicking off on Wikipedia.

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[ronin]

Just an observation... but you need to be very careful about what you chose as an informed source on YouTube... might be better kicking off on Wikipedia.

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Like Kropster I would not be sure of anything on Youtube.

Actually I tend to the presumption that anything on Youtube is more then a little suspect, and well removed from factual.

Have you obtained and read any published papers on Cosmology?

Youtube is not recognised as the leading edge of cosmology.

[rory]

nope, my brain hurts  already , sorry

[nucleardwarf]

I have a theory - it's all theory.

[AlexB67]

Youtube is not recognised as the leading edge of cosmology.

Perhaps not if you watch documentaries and such aimed at the masses. That being said, Leonard Susskind series and the open course ware is about as good as it gets IMHO . He covers everything from relativity to cosmology in  various courses.  I've been working through some of  his cosmology lectures a bit at a time, fantastic stuff, unless you want cutting edge research level

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-medYaqVak

Also some more stuff for a more relaxed approach aimed at a more general audience if you have no background in science.

http://www.youtube.com/user/SVAstronomyLectures

There is lots of the good stuff on there 

[Qualia]

I have a theory - it's all theory.

And cunningly so

For example, what is a universe?

A universe is defined by its properties. Where are these properties? In the ultimate analysis, we gain an empirical understanding of properties through sense experiences arising in the brain and these experiences are called qualia. No one has any idea what qualia are, or how they arise.

So properties do not lie in the universe: they lie in the mind, and there rather mysteriously so. From this it follows that all the other properties of the universe – its colours, weight, texture, its aroma, materiality, anything you would care to name – reside entirely in the mind, and then, too, only in the human mind; other minds may see and sense the universe entirely differently, if they noticed a universe at all!

Even the word universe, of course, is a mental construct; a human-invented label for a set of abstract properties. Now, since all the properties of the universe lie in the mind, if you take away all those properties – in other words, if you take away a human mind; further, take away all human minds – then what is left of the universe?

Nothing! There is no universe!

You asked for theory......

[Apollo459]

Like Kropster I would not be sure of anything on Youtube.

Actually I tend to the presumption that anything on Youtube is more then a little suspect, and well removed from factual.

Have you obtained and read any published papers on Cosmology?

Youtube is not recognised as the leading edge of cosmology.

I actually recently checked out this, i do more research, but thanks for the tip anyway.

[AlexB67]

And cunningly so

For example, what is a universe?

A universe is defined by its properties. Where are these properties? In the ultimate analysis, we gain an empirical understanding of properties through sense experiences arising in the brain and these experiences are called qualia. No one has any idea what qualia are, or how they arise.

So properties do not lie in the universe: they lie in the mind, and there rather mysteriously so. From this it follows that all the other properties of the universe – its colours, weight, texture, its aroma, materiality, anything you would care to name – reside entirely in the mind, and then, too, only in the human mind; other minds may see and sense the universe entirely differently, if they noticed a universe at all!

Even the word universe, of course, is a mental construct; a human-invented label for a set of abstract properties. Now, since all the properties of the universe lie in the mind, if you take away all those properties – in other words, if you take away a human mind; further, take away all human minds – then what is left of the universe?

Nothing! There is no universe!

You asked for theory......

You devil you

This is why I was never much into philosophy, in fact it winds me up sometimes. The best we can do in science is work with model dependent realities, otherwise  it would be very hard to make progress, as Stephen Hawking said himself. The old debate if I am here or there to hear the wind through the trees, versus, does the tree exist if I am not there to see or hear it never got us very far in science.

Feel free to call me boring

When  I was younger and had no mathematical understanding I read a book by Fritjof Capra, forgotten the title, he wrote several. At the age of 12 or so I did not have enough understanding to learn some of the ideas behind quantum mechanics and all the math that went with it. The book was good for that at the time, but the second half of the book got very much into the philosophical arguments. At that point I stopped reading and decided I got out of it what I wanted. The rest I called waffle at the time, the book was closed at that point and placed on the shelf.

[ollypenrice]

I have a theory - it's all theory.

Do you believe your theory?

Theory says that if you observe certain effects repeatedly and offer an explanatory mechanism for these effects then you can predict outcomes in the future. But this is just a theory. So theory says that drilling a 10mm hole through your left knee will cause it to perform less efficiently and also hurt. But it's just a theory.

I don't believe that you believe your theory.     

Olly

[nucleardwarf]

Do you believe your theory?

Theory says that if you observe certain effects repeatedly and offer an explanatory mechanism for these effects then you can predict outcomes in the future. But this is just a theory. So theory says that drilling a 10mm hole through your left knee will cause it to perform less efficiently and also hurt. But it's just a theory.

I don't believe that you believe your theory.     

Olly

I think you will find that drilling through your knee to find out that it hurts isn't based on theory but by all means try it out and let me know.

[Cath]

So theory says that drilling a 10mm hole through your left knee will cause it to perform less efficiently and also hurt. But it's just a theory.

Well, it all depends on a couple of factors as to whether that theory holds up or up.

Are we at the time alive or dead?

Are we at the time conscious or out for the count?

Change the conditions, and the theories can well become meaningless

[SimonS]

You also mentioned Planet X. Read up on the Nice Model for the late heavy bombardment, it is an interesting and compelling theory showing how Neptune used to orbit inside the orbit of Uranus. In some simulations it also suggests that there was a fifth Gas Giant that was thrown from our system at some point during the alignments of Jupiter and Saturn.

Theories of the Universe:

There is now overwhelming evidence for Dark Matter partly due to the new phenomenon that is gravitational lensing. Unfortunately though this does not account for an expanding universe, however it does give great insight into the mass of galaxy clusters etc and answers the problem of 'missing mass'.

A good theory for the cause of the expanding universe is Dark Energy. No believed to make up about 75% of our universe, dark energy is able to cause a constant outward pressure. Gravity is not strong enough to overcome this pressure and as a result the space between objects (on large enough scale) is constantly expanding. Imagine an area of space one meter cubed (1m^3), as that doubles in size, the force of gravity inside drops to a quarter of its original strength. However the pressure caused by dark energy is constant within a certain area, and because the area has now doubled, the outward pressure has also doubled. This results in the speed of expansion increasing at an ever faster rate, which has been observed.