NationStates Jolt Archive

what is it expaning into? The questions self explanatery so what do you think? Is there just an empty space or something else? And what do you thinks at the end of the universe?

It's expanding into nothing. Don't think about space, don't think about the vacuum. There's plenty of stuff in the vacuum. The nothing outside of the universe is just that nothing. It does not exist. The universe, however, is indeed getting bigger.

There's more, we won't see it, but there's more of something, not nothing. At the end, there might be nothing. Not that I really know what nothing is, but I guess it can't be anything because it's nothing. But what if nothing was something, so there's not really a nothing, but always something. Maybe there's no end to the universe.

Ugh

The universe is expanding into space. Space is infinite nothingness. The universe consists of all planets, stars, and other celestial bodies. These bodies, the universe, are expanding into space, nothingness.

Whee! Head hurty time! Let's interject this with the old question.

"If a tree falls in the forest, and it lands on a mime, and no one's around to see or hear it, does anyone care?"

No offense to mimes, trees, and/or forests was intended.

But what is nothing?

But what is nothing?


....Nothing.

Doesn't make sense to me, but what the hell do I know?

but how can it be nothing? if it was nothing it wouldn't exist, it has to be something for it to be there, if it's something then what's it made out of?

but how can it be nothing? if it was nothing it wouldn't exist, it has to be something for it to be there, if it's something then what's it made out of?

That's the part I don't get.

i replied other, cuz the question said "what do u think" and the answer is as little as possible.

about the expansion of the universe, i havent any clue

but how can it be nothing? if it was nothing it wouldn't exist,

The idea of a unicorn exists, but unicorns themselves dont.

it has to be something for it to be there, if it's something then what's it made out of?

Nothing, a void, is the idea of matter-less space.

but how can it be nothing? if it was nothing it wouldn't exist, it has to be something for it to be there, if it's something then what's it made out of?

It's nothing. It doesn't exist. The universe is expanding into areas where nothing exists (nothing that we can possibly ever know of anyway - if there is or isn't something beyond our universe, we will never know - for all intents and purposes, there is absolutely nothing there.).

but how can it be nothing? if it was nothing it wouldn't exist, it has to be something for it to be there, if it's something then what's it made out of?

It doesn't exist. It's a lack of anything.

but how can it be nothing? if it was nothing it wouldn't exist, it has to be something for it to be there, if it's something then what's it made out of?
Nothing. Outside of the universe nothing exists. Not time, not space, not energy, not matter, not light. nada. It's not hot, nor is it cold, you cannot go there. because if you were to, the universe would go with you.

The idea of a unicorn exists, but unicorns themselves dont.



Nothing, a void, is the idea of matter-less space.


Now I get it! Well, maybe not fully, but more so than before.

It's nothing. It doesn't exist. The universe is expanding into areas where nothing exists (nothing that we can possibly ever know of anyway - if there is or isn't something beyond our universe, we will never know - for all intents and purposes, there is absolutely nothing there.).
but if there is nothing there then how does the universe expand, into a place where there isn't a place for it to expand to?

*I should point out that I could care less, but my kids will ask soon and since I could care less I haven't looked into it....

But what is nothing?

Infinite possibility.

but if there is nothing there then how does the universe expand, into a place where there isn't a place for it to expand to?

*I should point out that I could care less, but my kids will ask soon and since I could care less I haven't looked into it....

There is plenty of space to expand into, because there is nothing there from before, it expands into a vacuum. It's like walking into a room with no people, just because it was empty didn't mean you couldn't walk in;)

what is it expaning into? The question's self explanatery so what do you think? Is there just an empty space or something else? And what do you thinks at the end of the universe?
According to the latest hypotheses in M-Theory, the universe we live in exists in eleven dimensions. As it expands, it does so into several ( number unspecified ) of these dimensions.

There is no "end of the universe." The universe is curved in four ( or more ) dimensions, so that travelling in what seems to be a straight line would eventually bring you back to your starting point.

Please don't ask me to explain this much further. I'm just a retired American Army officer, not a quantum theorist. :p

Some theories say that our universe is a smaller universe within another universe within another universe etc...

We're expanding into our parent universe.

but if there is nothing there then how does the universe expand, into a place where there isn't a place for it to expand to?

*I should point out that I could care less, but my kids will ask soon and since I could care less I haven't looked into it....

There's nothing stopping it, either.

There's nothing stopping it, either.
ah, didn't think aobut that...... hmm........

this makes my head hurt. :p

The idea of a unicorn exists, but unicorns themselves dont.



Nothing, a void, is the idea of matter-less space.
I don't think that is correct. "Nothing" does not exist. "Matter-less space" exists. In fact more than 99.99999999% of the volume of our bodies is matter-less space. (mostly the empty space between all the protons, neutrons, and electrons)

But "nothing" - the 'thing' that the universe is expanding into - truly does not exist and has no meaning and no volume.

what is it expaning into? The questions self explanatery so what do you think? Is there just an empty space or something else? And what do you thinks at the end of the universe?

There are actually a couple other options. Among them are...

Seperate quantam possibilities which are voided as this universe expands into them.

and

Wyoming.

I don't think that is correct. "Nothing" does not exist. "Matter-less space" exists. In fact more than 99.99999999% of the volume of our bodies is matter-less space. (mostly the empty space between all the protons, neutrons, and electrons)

But "nothing" - the 'thing' that the universe is expanding into - truly does not exist and has no meaning and no volume.
see that bothers me even more, in fact I got kicked out of Physics in highschool because I couldn't quite grasp it, and I kept asking questions.

what is inbetween subatomic particles? surely something must be in between atoms or they would stick together, surely there must be something in between electrons or they would likewise stick together, what is there? it must be something, it can't be nothing, what stops everything from being a solid? if it is a liquid there must be something between the atoms to make them far apart like they are.................

I think the idea of talking about 'beyond the universe' or 'what the universe is expanding into' is misleading and confusing to some. We can't talk about this as though it were a place - it isn't. It isn't empty space - it does not exist, period. Just as it is difficult for the human mind to truly comprehend infinity, it is also difficult for us to comprehend non-existance in this sense. Even though I'm typing this as though I were some type of smart-guy, it's really difficult for me to imagine this or to try and picture it. Kinda hard to imagine complete non-existance.

So there is nothing beyond the universe. When it is said that the universe is expanding, is it? Or are the distances between objects within the universe just getting farther? And from what angle, direction, or dimension?

Are all the objects we see through the doppler effect as racing away from us, just going to come up behnind us again in a few billion years? :confused:

Wish Stephen Hawking were here...

It's expanding into nothing. Don't think about space, don't think about the vacuum. There's plenty of stuff in the vacuum. The nothing outside of the universe is just that nothing. It does not exist. The universe, however, is indeed getting bigger.

how can it be nothing, there has to be something or the space it is expanding to has to be being held in something.

I hate it when people talk about God as though it's a certainty.

I hate it more when people talk about the universe as though it's a certainty.

This question always makes my head ache.

Wish Stephen Hawking were here...

Stephen Hawking is just a very inteligent story teller. he is good at coming up with ideas and then making people beleive in his ideas.

kind of similar to early biblical writters?

see that bothers me even more, in fact I got kicked out of Physics in highschool because I couldn't quite grasp it, and I kept asking questions.

what is inbetween subatomic particles? surely something must be in between atoms or they would stick together, surely there must be something in between electrons or they would likewise stick together, what is there? it must be something, it can't be nothing, what stops everything from being a solid? if it is a liquid there must be something between the atoms to make them far apart like they are.................

Sounds like you are wresting with what nothing is, which is the wrong way to go about it. About the only way to go about it is to figure out what nothing isn't and see what's left over. Take everything you can see, smell, touch, hear, taste, or think about and eliminate it. What's left over is nothing. Now that you have an idea of what nothing is, eliminate that too.

It's that simple, just not easy.

I read something about the past and future of the universe...its rather interesting, but bleak from our prospective.

Basically, the universe is divided into 5 eras, each getting progressively longer.

First Era is from 0-1,000,000 years after the Big Bang were the universe is a sea of superheated energy. As the universe cools matter begins to form..first as tiny particles like quarks, slowly forming into elections, protons and then atoms.

2nd - The era of stars. 12.9 billion years ego to 10 trillion years from now. What we see now.

3rd - Era of degeneracy - All matter is locked up in degenerate stellar cores( neutron stars, white dwarfs, black holes). Once and a while two brown dwarfs will collide creating a low-mass red dwarf star. Lasts about 10^10-10^30 years

4th - Era of Blackholes - Eventually all matter is either in massive galactic massed blackholes or neutron stars.

5th - Era of decay - stort of an extention of the 4th era, but basically neutron stars decay through radiation over a period of 10^65 years and blackholes over a period of 10^100 years. At the end the only thing that is left is a energy particals with super long wavelengths.

Keep in mind as the eras pass the universe grows larger and larger and LARGER and colder too.

This is a big simplification and I do not have the book on me so some of the details might be a little off, but this is the jist of it.

what is inbetween subatomic particles?The force fields that come from them (like the strong force and electromagnetic force.
surely something must be in between atoms or they would stick togetherSome of them do stick together. Otherwise you couldn't have asked that question :p surely there must be something in between electrons or they would likewise stick together, what is there?The repulsive force between 2 electrons tends to keep them away from each other.what stops everything from being a solid?Mostly the fact that atoms are heated up by radiation from, say, the sun, which makes them vibrate and move around every which way in such a way that the attractive forces between them can no longer compensate.

if it is a liquid there must be something between the atoms to make them far apart like they are.In a way, they have energy "between them". If you're really into this science crap, look at this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_force Why objects stick together or move apart is essentially explained there.

The force fields that come from them (like the strong force and electromagnetic force.
Some of them do stick together. Otherwise you couldn't have asked that question :p The repulsive force between 2 electrons tends to keep them away from each other.Mostly the fact that atoms are heated up by radiation from, say, the sun, which makes them vibrate and move around every which way in such a way that the attractive forces between them can no longer compensate.

In a way, they have energy "between them". If you're really into this science crap, look at this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_force Why objects stick together or move apart is essentially explained there.
OMG, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D :D :D :D :D :D

why in the hell weren't you my physics teacher?! all he kept saying was "nothing" and "shut up, you are making me look stupid" and "go smoke some more pot, I don't like you when you aren't high"

OMG, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D :D :D :D :D You're welcome :)

why in the hell weren't you my physics teacher?!Heh, never thought I'd makea good teacher. Also, I'm not good with kids.all he kept saying was "nothing" and "shut up, you are making me look stupid" and "go smoke some more pot, I don't like you when you aren't high"[/QUOTE]That sucks. So he either was stupid, or lazy and ignorant. Do you think they flunked you because you were asking questions or were you just not so good in it. If it's the latter, that's really sad, because without asking questions there can't be science :(

I do however like the "go smoke some pot" comment :D. I find pot to be good for my well-being, but it's only of very limited use when trying to do physics :D (can give you some fresh ideas, but also some very crap ones
that only seem great while you're mashed :D)

I don't think that is correct. "Nothing" does not exist. "Matter-less space" exists. In fact more than 99.99999999% of the volume of our bodies is matter-less space. (mostly the empty space between all the protons, neutrons, and electrons)

But "nothing" - the 'thing' that the universe is expanding into - truly does not exist and has no meaning and no volume.

Yes, thats nothing.

Do you think they flunked you because you were asking questions or were you just not so good in it. If it's the latter, that's really sad, because without asking questions there can't be science :(
I officially failed because I got kicked out and when they changed my shedule so that I wouldn't be in his class and moved me to PE I just quit going to first hour. I figured an extra hour of sleep was probably worth an F in PE LOL