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Is there only One Universe


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hi guys i am not a physican or a doctor but last night i was having some different thoughts. people say our universe has billions of galaxies and each galaxy has billions of stars.

so cant their be billions of universes.

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So much has been written about a parallel universe, and different dimensions being connected via wormholes. It makes a fantastic read even though most of it goes over my head.

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This is one of my favourite subjects :)

As Mick has said, there has been much written about this subject. I personally favour the string theory concept of multiverses. The theory would give an insight into why gravitation is by far the weakest of the four fundamental forces. It would also give a possible explanation into why the big bang occurred as well as unifying relativity and quantum mechanics.

Very inspiring subject...

Nikki

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at least four reasons why there are lots and lots of them -

1. why should something happen only once? If it can happen at all it would be strange for it to only be once.

2. quantum theory suggests there might be multiverses

3. the weird make up of our universe (ie that it is just right for us) suggests that there are lots and lots of others, ie if there are lots and lots, it's not really surprising that one is just right for us (otherwise it really would be wieird...)

4. I went to one once - I said i thought a handbag was too expensive and swimbo agreed with me...

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at least four reasons why there are lots and lots of them -

3. the weird make up of our universe (ie that it is just right for us) suggests that there are lots and lots of others, ie if there are lots and lots, it's not really surprising that one is just right for us (otherwise it really would be wieird...)

4. I went to one once - I said i thought a handbag was too expensive and swimbo agreed with me...

Oh, the Anthropic Principle! Personally, I believe the only reason our universe appears perfect for us is simple because we evolved into it.

If we had evolved in another with totally different laws of physics then that universe would appear perfect for us too. What that universe would be like is open to wild speculation, with wildly different laws of physics, who knows. Once thing for sure, its doubtful that we would even be able to exist in a different universe.

Nikki

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Oh, the Anthropic Principle! Personally, I believe the only reason our universe appears perfect for us is simple because we evolved into it.

Nikki

yes that't true but it's also kind of tautologous and obvious - IMHO there are further conclusions to be drawn ie because there are so many possibilties that would allow nothing at all to apear that any life supporting universe is vanishingly unlikely unless there are lots and lots of them

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"Billions" is a gross underestimate in any case. According to one variant of quantum mechanics, the universe bifurcates every time a quantum event is observed ... just as in the Schrodinger's Cat experiment, there are (at least) twice as many universes after the experiment as there were before it, because in some the cat is alive and in some it's dead. The extra universes spring into existence at the instant the waveform collapses (when the box contents are observed), before then it is meaningless to ask the question as to whether the cat is alive or dead - it's both, or neither.

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because there are so many possibilties that would allow nothing at all to apear that any life supporting universe is vanishingly unlikely unless there are lots and lots of them

Yes, I know what you are saying: You only have to make minuscule changes to the four fundamental forces before stars stop shining or the atom can no longer hold together.

But what if the laws of physics were so radically different in these alternate universes? We would have no scientific theory / concept in order to model such a universe and hence have no way of predicting the possibility of life.

For somebody living in such a universe; the quantum structure of our atom could be an impossibility, instead some other mind-boggling principle would be at work. These hypothetical people might believe that their universe is rare and that life could not exist elsewhere.

Just thinking out loud, that's all...

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you are right but I would posit that how ever many wierd and wonderful universes there may be and how ever many ways of life forming there may be, surely there are more ways of making a universe in which life can't or doesn't form? hence, a life supporting universe is a bit of a surprise which is best explained by there being lots and lots of universes to "pick from". No?

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you are right but I would posit that how ever many wierd and wonderful universes there may be and how ever many ways of life forming there may be, surely there are more ways of making a universe in which life can't or doesn't form? hence, a life supporting universe is a bit of a surprise which is best explained by there being lots and lots of universes to "pick from". No?

Oh, absolutely: I'm just letting my imagination runaway... :) That's all...

String theory predicts that what you say is perfectly possible. Countless universes, most barren, some not but all sharing the same force of gravitation.

Nikki

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"Billions" is a gross underestimate in any case. According to one variant of quantum mechanics, the universe bifurcates every time a quantum event is observed ... just as in the Schrodinger's Cat experiment, there are (at least) twice as many universes after the experiment as there were before it, because in some the cat is alive and in some it's dead. The extra universes spring into existence at the instant the waveform collapses (when the box contents are observed), before then it is meaningless to ask the question as to whether the cat is alive or dead - it's both, or neither.

(reply edited because of religious content)

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  • 1 month later...

I personally favour the string theory concept of multiverses. The theory would give an insight into why gravitation is by far the weakest of the four fundamental forces. It would also give a possible explanation into why the big bang occurred as well as unifying relativity and quantum mechanics.

Very inspiring subject...

Nikki

My thoughts exactly!

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All the scientific stuff goes over my humble head :)

My own feelings are this universe is much like a galaxy within a universe, its goes on and on and on.

I doubt this will ever be proved/disproved because we cannot see beyond our own universe........yet :)

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All the scientific stuff goes over my humble head :)

My own feelings are this universe is much like a galaxy within a universe, its goes on and on and on.

I doubt this will ever be proved/disproved because we cannot see beyond our own universe........yet :)

(To add to what George said) Late Dr.Carl Sagan, in his book, 'cosmos' mentions a similar angle when he compares the modern outlook of the universe to the religious one (I prefer not to mention which religion, else I might get my post deleted!). He says our whole, known universe is an atom in another universe, which is an atom in another universe, which is an atom in yet another universe, and so on. A fearful perspective, he calls it.

Cheers.

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