Yackity-Yack

[Gweener]

ChainsawDooM

It goes on to talk about how the universe could also be finite, but not have a center, as well, and how the big bang did not occur in a single point, but the stuff that caused the big bang was actually everywhere, then it exploded. the big bang stuff is had for me to get my head around... but they gave a good example of the three different ways space-time could be curved...

... I'll only show how the universe can be finite but still not have an edge. Think of ourselves as a 2 dimensional ant. Since we're two dimensional, we only know forward, backward, left and right. Up and down do not exist. Now, picture that ant crawling around the outside of an orange. If the ant keeps going in one direction long enough, he'll eventually get back to where he started, right? However, since he is two dimensional, he can't say the center of the universe is the center of the orange. To him, the center of the orange does not exist. So, where is the center of the outside of a sphere... there isn't one.

the other kinds of universes, flat and open, are both infinite, so the unbounded stuff still applies.

Ooow, now you're talking time travel? I've heard about how we perceive time as linear, and something about doubling it back on itself, but I really couldn't grasp what they were saying, but the general idea is exciting! I think it involved back holes.  

[ChainsawDooM]

The only thing really constant about the universe as far as movement goes is that all the galaxies are moving away from each other at a constant rate depending on their distance from each other, but there is no center to this movement. The analogy they gave here was of raisins moving in expanding raisin bread. If you can picture it in your head... it's kind of hard for me to express with words... but... just go into like... paint or something, draw some dots, and then grow the image. You'll see that stuff that was farther away to begin with gains distance faster than the stuff that was closer together. Now, you still have to be careful not to think of a center, but you can see that the movement itself is not actually related to the center of the picture in any way (unless you put a dot in the center of the picture... which will screw up the visual analogy for your mind... so don't. It'll still hold, but it'll be confusing as heck).  

[ChainsawDooM]

Gweener

Ooow, now you're talking time travel? I've heard about how we perceive time as linear, and something about doubling it back on itself, but I really couldn't grasp what they were saying, but the general idea is exciting! I think it involved back holes.

I'm not talking about anything of the sort. Space-time is just the dimension we exist on. We're always moving through time, but the rate we're moving through time is influenced by both gravity and speed, in accordance with Einstein's theory of general relativity. Since we know that stuff in our direction can exert an influence on time, IE, large bodies of mass slowing time down in close proximity to them, we know we exist in a dimension of both space AND time.

The curvature stuff is mainly just talking about the curvature of space, not time. Plus, it's also ina 2 dimensional perspective... but you can get the point. If the universe is closed, if you go for long enough in one direction, you'll eventually get back to where you started.  

[Gweener]

Well, it's almost quitting time and I can't believe it here! You know what they say about "time flies..." Thanks for helping me through my day. Pretty soon I'll be off for home and all those mundane tasks of daily life. (At least I'll have something interesting to be thinking about!)
I've so enjoyed the company and conversation! (and look forward to the next) It's been so engaging, I hate to have to leave right now!!!

Maybe I'll log back on tonight and see we've inspired some more? But mostly I hope for a full night's sleep tonight, for me... and for you! wink
*tight hugz*  

[ChainsawDooM]

Think of every object in the universe with mass as creating a dimple in space time. The bigger the mass, the greater the gravity; the greater the gravity; the deeper the dimple; and the deeper the dimple, the more the distortion in time. However, if you compare a black hole and our sun, the actual distance that dimple reaches is about the same, due to the interesting properties of gravity over distances and compared to the center of mass. The radius of influence is about the same, meaning at farther, equivalent distances, the pull would be almost identical. However, the closer you got, the more dramatic it would start to be. You'd really have to be quite close to a black hole (in a celestial standpoint) in order to begin to feel any significant differences.

It'd be a lot easier to explain with a graphic...  

[ChainsawDooM]

Goodnight Gwee! Hopefully I didn't make your head hurt too badly! Hopefully, it's just full of good and interesting thoughts.

And remember... these are only the accepted theories of right now. Some crap may come up later and completely obliterate this stuff. XD.  

[Gweener]

ChainsawDooM

Think of every object in the universe with mass as creating a dimple in space time. The bigger the mass, the greater the gravity; the greater the gravity; the deeper the dimple; and the deeper the dimple, the more the distortion in time. However, if you compare a black hole and our sun, the actual distance that dimple reaches is about the same, due to the interesting properties of gravity over distances and compared to the center of mass. The radius of influence is about the same, meaning at farther, equivalent distances, the pull would be almost identical. However, the closer you got, the more dramatic it would start to be. You'd really have to be quite close to a black hole (in a celestial standpoint) in order to begin to feel any significant differences.

It'd be a lot easier to explain with a graphic...

Yes, I think that might help me. I'm quite the visual learner.  

[Gweener]

I feel like I'm getting the basic ideas, but can't quite pull it all together.  

[ChainsawDooM]

Yeah, well... a graphic like that would involve me drawing in 3D... and I suck at drawing cones and crap on a plane in 3D.  

[ChainsawDooM]

if You give me a couple of minutes, I can try to put together a really quick sketch...  

[Gweener]

Well, that's ok. It's time to go and I am SO ready to get out of here. But at least I'll have some time to think about it.  

[Gweener]

ChainsawDooM

if You give me a couple of minutes, I can try to put together a really quick sketch...

Really!? Drawing in 3-D? I have to wait to see this!  

[Gweener]

Well, that was unsettling... one of my fav little sixth graders just told me that her mother died of a heart attack about a week before Christmas.
Poor baby. Life can be so fragile and unfair.  

[Gweener]

A reminder to not take the next day for granted and to appreciate those close to you. emo  

[ChainsawDooM]

... Quick sketch didn't really work out too well... ended up being more of a detailed blueprint like thing using circles and lines and vector modifying... but it looks good enough to get the message across, I think.