The Big Bang Theory S08e04 Dimension

The Big Bang Theory S08e04 Dimensions
The Big Bang Theory Science
Melissa Rauch
The Big Bang Theory Wiki

The Big Bang Theory S08e04 Dimensions

Since scientists first proposed the big bang theory, many people have questioned and criticized the model. Here's a rundown on some of the most common criticisms of the big bang theory:

It violates the first law of thermodynamics, which says you can't create or destroy matter or energy. Critics claim that the big bang theory suggests the universe began out of nothing. Proponents of the big bang theory say that such criticism is unwarranted for two reasons. The first is that the big bang doesn't address the creation of the universe, but rather the evolution of it. The other reason is that since the laws of science break down as you approach the creation of the universe, there's no reason to believe the first law of thermodynamics would apply.

Some critics say that the formation of stars and galaxies violates the law of entropy, which suggests systems of change become less organized over time. But if you view the early universe as completely homogeneous and isotropic, then the current universe shows signs of obeying the law of entropy.

Some astrophysicists and cosmologists argue that scientists have misinterpreted evidence like the redshift of celestial bodies and the cosmic microwave background radiation. Some cite the absence of exotic cosmic bodies that should have been the product of the big bang according to the theory.

The Big Bang Argument. The big bang argument for the existence of god is supposed to succeed where the traditional first-cause argument fails. Let's see if it does. Ross's version of the argument goes like this: 6. Everything that had a beginning in time has a cause. The universe had a beginning in time. Therefore the universe had a cause. The Los Robles Apartment Building, or simply The Building, refers to the apartment building located at 2311 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, California that serves as the residence of Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper. When viewed from the satellite photographs (The Countdown Reflection), it appears to be in reality located at 215 South Madison Avenue. Leonard, Sheldon, and Penny occupy. Prepare to enter the eighth dimension of television’s perpetual laughter continuum as THE BIG BANG THEORY boldly crosses the frontiers of science and comedy. Doctors Hofstadter & Cooper remain socially challenged, but the two genius roommates and their friends Penny, Howard, Raj, Amy & Bernadette always produce hilarious results.

The early inflationary period of the big bang appears to violate the rule that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. Proponents have a few different responses to this criticism. One is that at the start of the big bang, the theory of relativity didn't apply. As a result, there was no issue with traveling faster than the speed of light. Another related response is that space itself can expand faster than the speed of light, as space falls outside the domain of the theory of gravity.

There are several alternative models that attempt to explain the development of the universe, though none of them have as wide an acceptance as the big bang theory:

The steady-state model of the universe suggests the universe always had and will always have the same density. The theory reconciles the apparent evidence that the universe is expanding by suggesting that the universe generates matter at a rate proportionate to the universe's rate of expansion.

The Ekpyrotic model suggests our universe is the result of a collision of two three-dimensional worlds on a hidden fourth dimension. It doesn't conflict with the big bang theory completely, as after a certain amount of time it aligns with the events described in the big bang theory.

The big bounce theory suggests our universe is one of a series of universes that first expand, then contract again. The cycle repeats after several billion years.

Plasma cosmology attempts to describe the universe in terms of the electrodynamic properties of the universe. Plasma is an ionized gas, which means it's a gas with free roaming electrons that can conduct electricity.

There are several other models as well. Could one of these theories (or other ones we haven't even thought of) one day replace the big bang theory as the accepted model of the universe? It's quite possible. As time passes and our capability to study the universe increases, we'll be able to make more accurate models of how the universe developed.

The Big Bang Theory Science

To learn more about the big bang and related topics, take a look at the links below.

Sources

'Big Bang Theory -- An Overview.' All About Science. http://www.big-bang-theory.com/
'Cambridge Cosmology: Hot Big Bang Model.' Cambridge University. http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/gr/public/bb_home.html
Castellanos, Joel. 'The Shape of Space.' NonEuclid. http://www.cs.unm.edu/~joel/NonEuclid/space.html
Felder, Gary. 'Beyond the Big Bang: Inflation and the Very Early Universe.' North Carolina State University. 2002. http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/kenny/papers/inflation.html
Feuerbacher, Bjorn and Scranton, Ryan. 'Evidence for the Big Bang.' TalkOrigins Archive. Jan. 25, 2006. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/astronomy/bigbang.html
'The Geometry of the Universe.' Astronomy 162. University of Tennessee. http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/cosmology/geometry.html
Hawking, Stephen. 'A Brief History of Time.' Bantam Books. New York. 1998.
LaRocco, Chris and Rothstein, Blair. 'The Big Bang: It sure was Big!' University of Michigan. http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/bigbang.htm
Marmet, Paul. 'Big Bang Cosmology Meets an Astronomical Death.' 21st Century, Science and Technology. Vol. 3, No. 3. 1990. http://www.newtonphysics.on.ca/BIGBANG/Bigbang.html
'Mysteries of Deep Space.' Engle Brothers Media, Inc. PBS. http://www.pbs.org/deepspace/
Plait, Phil. 'What happened before the Big Bang?' Bad Astronomy. July 2007. http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2007/07/01/what-happened-before-the-big-bang/
Plasma Cosmology. http://www.plasmacosmology.net/
Shestople, Paul. 'Big Bang Cosmology Primer.' University of California, Berkeley. December 24, 1997. http://cosmology.berkeley.edu/Education/IUP/Big_Bang_Primer.html
Steinhardt, Paul J. 'A Brief Introduction to the Ekpryotic Universe.' Princeton University. http://www.physics.princeton.edu/~steinh/npr/
'Universe 101: Big Bang Theory.' NASA. http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/bb_theory.html
Voisey, Jon. 'The Big Bang - Common Misconceptions.' The Angry Astronomer. July 29, 2006. http://angryastronomer.blogspot.com/2006/07/big-bang-common-misconceptions.html
'What is the structure of the universe?' The Official String Theory Web Site. http://www.superstringtheory.com/cosmo/cosmo2.html
Wright, Edward L. 'Cosmology Tutorial.' Retrieved June 2, 2008. Last modified May 27, 2008. http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~wright/cosmolog.htm

Typing “Big Bang Theory” into a search bar links us immediately to the long-running (debut 2007), immensely popular CBS sitcom, a post-modern look at the lives of Caltech physicists. The conventional meaning of the term, our universe’s origin starting with a small singularity currently pegged at 13.8 billion years ago, is a mere second thought.

Even “relativity” cannot match that pop culture success: The first hit I tried offered to define the term, as if that really matters.

But the Big Bang is unpopular among cosmologists. It survives on evidence alone. And sadly, evidence matters much less than it used to.

Science historian Helge Kragh tells us that astronomer Fred Hoyle coined the term “big bang” in 1949: “Ironically… to characterize the kind of theory he much disliked and fought until the end of his life… As Hoyle said in an interview in 1995: ‘Words are like harpoons. Once they go in, they are very hard to pull out.'” In 1949, he had described the theory as “irrational.”

But in 1965, the evidence of aftershocks (the cosmic microwave background) made the irrational theory an apparent fact. In that year, the New York Times announced “Signals Imply a ‘Big Bang’ Universe,” which certainly helped introduce the term to a large public.

Kragh tells us, “Many people feel that ‘big bang’ is an unfortunate name, not only because of its association with a primordial explosion, but also because it is such an undignified label for the most momentous event ever in the history of the universe.”

Undignified, possibly. But that is hardly the only reason the detractors didn’t (and don’t) like it. Arthur Eddington (1882-1944) exclaimed in 1933, “I feel almost an indignation that anyone should believe in it — except myself.” Why? Because “The beginning seems to present insuperable difficulties unless we agree to look on it as frankly supernatural.” Others chimed in, making it clear that the principal problem is not with the evidence, then or now, but with obvious conclusions.

As the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophysniffs, “A naive or ideological reading of twentieth century cosmology might count big bang cosmology as providing new support for theism, and alternatives such as steady-state cosmology as atheistic backlashes.” Yes, possibly. The entry conveniently demonstrates the very point it seeks to dismiss: The half-century war against the Big Bang is not going well for the warriors.

We are now told that there is more to the universe than the Big Bang. and that, with the help of physicist Sean Carroll, we can speculate wildly as to what it was like before the Big Bang. A recent theory relies on a quantum fluid of “hypothetical massless particles.” Or a holographic mirage from another dimension.

Melissa Rauch

It all sounds like a guy explaining why he can’t pay his rent. Only the last sentence matters.

The Big Bang Theory Wiki

Statue of Fred Hoyle, Institute of Astronomy, by Mark Hurn [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.