What did the big bang look like?

[brianb]

Imagine an anti-matter universe parallel to our own where they are wondering why there is so little matter!

Except they would think of themselves as being composed of normal matter, our stuff would be antimatter to them.

[haitch]

Then the universe must be some weird form of nothing.

I'll second that. An analogy I saw (Might be from BC)... If you took the gaps out of all the atoms in the body of every person on Earth we would all fit inside a sugar cube.

[vulcan]

I'll second that. An analogy I saw (Might be from BC)... If you took the gaps out of all the atoms in the body of every person on Earth we would all fit inside a sugar cube.

If you were able to take 'all the gaps out of all the atoms' you would have a material so dense that it would produce a singularity - much smaller than a sugar cube.

If the 'Big Crunch' theory is anything to go by, the universe will stop expanding and contract again until the whole lot dissappears up its own *** - which in turn, will trigger another 'Big Bang' - oscillating universe.

I'm selling front row tickets if anyone is interested - but you will need an infinite amount of money - I won't take less!

[Nexus 6]

Fantastic thread, have read all the posts and although I am not able to understand a lot of it I do enjoy reading about such topics, some good material linked or mentioned for futher reading also.

I think, by even only being able to grasp a limited understanding on an amazing set of ideas or concepts is still worth the time taken to read and study a bit on this immence subject and its proof of the reason why this forum is so good, so many great contributions on any and all subjects relating to the Cosmos.

For me, if I was pushed, I would go for the idea that the Big Bang is not the first or last and how thats linked to more than one universe or multiverse's is something that although improbable has got to be at least fractionally possible, just need the boffins to proove it somehow.

[FraserClarke]

If you were able to take 'all the gaps out of all the atoms' you would have a material so dense that it would produce a singularity - much smaller than a sugar cube.

No, the point here is the volume you'd get if you compressed the mass of humans to the point where it is supported by neutron degeneracy pressure.

[vulcan]

No, the point here is the volume you'd get if you compressed the mass of humans to the point where it is supported by neutron degeneracy pressure.

I don't think so. Humans are not made up of 'exotic' degenerative matter such as neutronium, strange matter, metallic hydrogen or white dwarf matter. Squashed humans are still considered to be 'conventional solids' so electric repulsion of the atomic nuclei is more likely to limit the density than neutron degeneracy pressure.

[FraserClarke]

I don't think so. Humans are not made up of 'exotic' degenerative matter such as neutronium, strange matter, metallic hydrogen or white dwarf matter. Squashed humans are still considered to be 'conventional solids' so electric repulsion of the atomic nuclei is more likely to limit the density than neutron degeneracy pressure.

Ummm... humans are made up of neutrons protons and electrons -- just like everything else in the universe.

Matter is matter, it doesn't matter (haha ) what state it's in to start with. Squash it enough, and it will behave the same way.

[vulcan]

Matter is matter, it doesn't matter (haha ) what state it's in to start with.

Actually, it matters a lot.

[FraserClarke]

Why is that then?

Why should atoms in star behave differently to atoms in a person when they are compressed so much that electron degeneracy pressure is overcome and neutron degeneracy pressure comes in to force?

When I die, the Earth is destroyed, probably consumed by the red giant Sun, will the atoms that were once part of me behave differently in the core of the resulting white dwarf??

[brianb]

will the atoms that were once part of me behave differently in the core of the resulting white dwarf??

The atoms in a white dwarf are "normal", with nuclei seperated by many thousands of times their diameter by electron shells. It's the point at which degeneracy pressure is insufficient to prevent the electrons being squeezed into the nuclei that things get interesting - the whole inside of the resulting neutron star becomes essentially one giant atomic nucleus, with the electrons and protons combining into neutrons. A white dwarf is planet sized, a neutron star with a similar (actually greater) mass is city sized ... the density goes up by a factor of a billion or so as a white dwarf just below the limiting mass has a radius of around 10,000 km whilst a neutron star just above the limiting mass has a radius of around 10 km.

[FraserClarke]

Yes, and that will happen whether the matter your compressing is Hydrogen atoms in a star, or Carbon + other stuff atoms in a person.

[haitch]

No, no, no... I wasn't compressing anything. I was just theorising about taking the gaps out although I have no theory as to how it could be done without compressing or removing the energy holding them apart.

Personally I suspect that subatomic particles will turn out to be just made out of energy and therefore nothing.

[spacex]

Ok,Scogryd,

I'm going to try to pull this together in macro form, because I'm not smart enough to do the math, which doesn't bother me too much, as the physicists and mathmaticians apear to be gussing, veru elegantly, I'l admit, but guessing too.

Aiight, aiight, , I'll us a just a little.

Admitting I didn't read everything here this today, so I hope nobody beat me to this explaination (tongue stuck in cheek).

Reddoss, pic #1, good one, but look at #2, notice the shape of the finger tip? See any prints?

Slightly more serious, as I understand it (sure), String Theory says all matter consists of vibrations on some kinf of invisible strings. The 11th dimensional equations are supposed to show that these spread and blend into one vast membrane.

Now there is some reason to believe that at some point just after the big bang everything expanded instantaneousely, and became matter spread out in an instant (?)....practically no time...so what affected time?

Well time is the reciprical of frequency. You might ask, what affected frequency. Let's propose an outside force, pressing against the membrane. All vibrations comes to a stop...well go higher in pitch, but press more and effectively comes to a stop. Now move it away quickly. Now everything resumes it's occilations, but it's all mixed up and it will be a while before it decides what frequncy it's going to occillate at (and what stuff it becomes) with some bounds dictated by he shape of the membrane.

For a short period, time almost doesn't exist. Frequencies are just staring to vibrate, everything spread out as far as it can go in that instant, as far as it can make it before time settles down and becomes strong and steady. Perhaps, there was some time, but the pressure could basically have been observed as more than enough gravitational force to alter time and space...so neither hardly exists until the rebound gets going.

Someone listening in the far future, hears a big BANG! It's the collision of great and massive minds of men and women who have devoted their lives to such questions.

(Please move on if you cannot handle an aside at this point.)

My mother used to tell her children that we were made on a great assembly line, and at the end of it sat GOD sat, poking his finger into their belly buttons and saying to them each, one at a time, "You're done!". This was of course her explaination of the belly button.

(Sorry for juxtaposing a little religion in the mix, but why not?)

So, anyway, the short answer is: "Who knows?"

Whether you wish to believe, as some propose, that another membrane collided into ours, or A celestial giant is rock and rolling on a really massive and musical instrument, or GOD is sitting at the end of a giant membrane assembly line and saying, "Your Done!" Hardly matters, I think.

What's matter to me is that this is a really interesting question, don't you think?

Please forgive me making light. No pun intended.

spacex