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Infinite Universe?

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  • M Marc Clifton

    Forogar wrote:

    Assuming the Universe is infinite

    Fortunately the universe is not. ;) Marc

    Latest Article - Create a Dockerized Python Fiddle Web App Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802

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    ZurdoDev
    wrote on last edited by
    #5

    Marc Clifton wrote:

    Fortunately the universe is not.

    True. I read the book. Where the Universe Ends, by Shel Silverstein.

    There are two kinds of people in the world: those who can extrapolate from incomplete data. There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

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    • M Marc Clifton

      Forogar wrote:

      Assuming the Universe is infinite

      Fortunately the universe is not. ;) Marc

      Latest Article - Create a Dockerized Python Fiddle Web App Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802

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      raddevus
      wrote on last edited by
      #6

      Marc Clifton wrote:

      Fortunately the universe is not

      So good to see a Scientist who is committed to making sense. The Universe cannot be infinite since no physical thing could ever be infinite. Infinite is simply a philosophical concept until you get to metaphysical. So, science cannot deal with infinite. I'm glad we've had this discussion.

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      • M Marc Clifton

        Forogar wrote:

        Assuming the Universe is infinite

        Fortunately the universe is not. ;) Marc

        Latest Article - Create a Dockerized Python Fiddle Web App Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802

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        F Offline
        Forogar
        wrote on last edited by
        #7

        Possibly not. In which case, what is beyond the edges of this non-infinite universe? More universes? If so, what demarcates the edges of this one and the edges of the others? Can they not all be part of a larger universe? PS. My finite brain has just thrown a "Value out of range Exception"!

        - I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.

        L Richard DeemingR M 3 Replies Last reply
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        • R raddevus

          Marc Clifton wrote:

          Fortunately the universe is not

          So good to see a Scientist who is committed to making sense. The Universe cannot be infinite since no physical thing could ever be infinite. Infinite is simply a philosophical concept until you get to metaphysical. So, science cannot deal with infinite. I'm glad we've had this discussion.

          M Offline
          M Offline
          Marc Clifton
          wrote on last edited by
          #8

          raddevus wrote:

          So, science cannot deal with infinite.

          Indeed. One of the reasons the number zero was not adopted by many cultures and banned by various religions is that the number zero leads to the problem of infinity, and only God can be infinite. That said, on theological grounds, since God is infinite, and infinite God could only exist in a finite universe, so I retract my statement that the universe is not infinite. ;) Marc

          Latest Article - Create a Dockerized Python Fiddle Web App Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802

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          • M Marc Clifton

            raddevus wrote:

            So, science cannot deal with infinite.

            Indeed. One of the reasons the number zero was not adopted by many cultures and banned by various religions is that the number zero leads to the problem of infinity, and only God can be infinite. That said, on theological grounds, since God is infinite, and infinite God could only exist in a finite universe, so I retract my statement that the universe is not infinite. ;) Marc

            Latest Article - Create a Dockerized Python Fiddle Web App Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802

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            raddevus
            wrote on last edited by
            #9

            Marc Clifton wrote:

            infinite God could only exist in a finite universe

            Wow, you took this much further than you probably want to since you are going to get all kinds of comments now. However, I must mention that you said, "could only exist in"...which was a limitation or constraint and I'm not sure why there would be one. :) - This question, of course, will cause this thread to be the first infinite thing found in a finite Universe. :laugh:

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            • M Marc Clifton

              Forogar wrote:

              Assuming the Universe is infinite

              Fortunately the universe is not. ;) Marc

              Latest Article - Create a Dockerized Python Fiddle Web App Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802

              OriginalGriffO Offline
              OriginalGriffO Offline
              OriginalGriff
              wrote on last edited by
              #10

              Einstein wasn't sure: "Two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I am not yet completely sure about the universe" (Allegedly; it quoted in the book Gestalt Therapy Verbatim by Frederick S. Perls, but the attribution is disputed)

              Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay... AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

              "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
              "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

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              • M Marc Clifton

                raddevus wrote:

                So, science cannot deal with infinite.

                Indeed. One of the reasons the number zero was not adopted by many cultures and banned by various religions is that the number zero leads to the problem of infinity, and only God can be infinite. That said, on theological grounds, since God is infinite, and infinite God could only exist in a finite universe, so I retract my statement that the universe is not infinite. ;) Marc

                Latest Article - Create a Dockerized Python Fiddle Web App Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802

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                Lost User
                wrote on last edited by
                #11

                religion is a universal obsessional neurosis. ~Siegmund Freud basically he says crazy should be kept out of rational business.

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                • R raddevus

                  Marc Clifton wrote:

                  Fortunately the universe is not

                  So good to see a Scientist who is committed to making sense. The Universe cannot be infinite since no physical thing could ever be infinite. Infinite is simply a philosophical concept until you get to metaphysical. So, science cannot deal with infinite. I'm glad we've had this discussion.

                  F Offline
                  F Offline
                  F ES Sitecore
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #12

                  raddevus wrote:

                  science cannot deal with infinite.

                  The sum of all positive integer numbers from 1 to infinity is -1/12. Proven by science :)

                  R Richard DeemingR T M 4 Replies Last reply
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                  • F Forogar

                    Possibly not. In which case, what is beyond the edges of this non-infinite universe? More universes? If so, what demarcates the edges of this one and the edges of the others? Can they not all be part of a larger universe? PS. My finite brain has just thrown a "Value out of range Exception"!

                    - I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.

                    L Offline
                    L Offline
                    Lost User
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #13

                    Perhaps more realistically or at least more philosophically pleasing, a finite universe could still be unbounded, for example if it is a 3-ball or 3-torus or something like that. That would mean that you could travel an infinite amount in any direction and never find "the edge" (since there is no edge) but you may find yourself returning to a place you've been before. The volume would be finite that way, but you don't have to worry about how space itself can even have an edge at all and what that might look like. But it isn't really known whether it's finite or not in the first place. It seems to be flat and isotropic, if it actually is flat and isotropic then it is infinite. But it might not be exactly flat, it might be curved less than could be measured so far. Or it might not be isotropic, or both.

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                    • F Forogar

                      Assuming the Universe is infinite then the number of stars in said Universe must also be infinite and therefore the number of planets orbiting said stars, that can support human-like life, is infinite and therefore the chance of there being at least one other human-like civilisation is infinitely close to 1. Therefore, do you think they would all have developed a Windows 10 O/S?

                      - I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.

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                      R Giskard Reventlov
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #14

                      Yes. No. Maybe.

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                      • F F ES Sitecore

                        raddevus wrote:

                        science cannot deal with infinite.

                        The sum of all positive integer numbers from 1 to infinity is -1/12. Proven by science :)

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                        raddevus
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #15

                        Strike 1 : Philosophical concept and that is math. :laugh:

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                        • L Lost User

                          religion is a universal obsessional neurosis. ~Siegmund Freud basically he says crazy should be kept out of rational business.

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                          raddevus
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #16

                          Termi Nater wrote:

                          basically he says crazy should be kept out of rational business

                          I certainly hope he disincluded himself then. :laugh: Sincerely, Zigmound Fraud

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                          • R raddevus

                            Strike 1 : Philosophical concept and that is math. :laugh:

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                            F ES Sitecore
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #17

                            Apparently the number (-1/12) crops up in quantum physics so maybe not so philosophical after all.

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                            • F F ES Sitecore

                              Apparently the number (-1/12) crops up in quantum physics so maybe not so philosophical after all.

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                              raddevus
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #18

                              F-ES Sitecore wrote:

                              Apparently the number (-1/12) crops up in quantum physics

                              I'd like to see that! Oh, wait, "crops up". That only exists in someones calculations they are doing. Yes, I'm trolling you. Just kidding. I understand what you mean, but do consider the Scientific Method[^], won't you? :-D

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                              • F F ES Sitecore

                                raddevus wrote:

                                science cannot deal with infinite.

                                The sum of all positive integer numbers from 1 to infinity is -1/12. Proven by science :)

                                Richard DeemingR Offline
                                Richard DeemingR Offline
                                Richard Deeming
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #19

                                F-ES Sitecore wrote:

                                Proven by science :)

                                For a specific value of "proven". :laugh: Ramanujan: Making sense of 1+2+3+... = -1/12 and Co. - YouTube[^]


                                "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

                                "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined" - Homer

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                                • F Forogar

                                  Possibly not. In which case, what is beyond the edges of this non-infinite universe? More universes? If so, what demarcates the edges of this one and the edges of the others? Can they not all be part of a larger universe? PS. My finite brain has just thrown a "Value out of range Exception"!

                                  - I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.

                                  Richard DeemingR Offline
                                  Richard DeemingR Offline
                                  Richard Deeming
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #20

                                  Maybe "space" is infinite, but the big-ball-of-wobbly-stuff we call "the Universe" isn't? :)


                                  "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

                                  "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined" - Homer

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                                  • R raddevus

                                    Marc Clifton wrote:

                                    Fortunately the universe is not

                                    So good to see a Scientist who is committed to making sense. The Universe cannot be infinite since no physical thing could ever be infinite. Infinite is simply a philosophical concept until you get to metaphysical. So, science cannot deal with infinite. I'm glad we've had this discussion.

                                    Z Offline
                                    Z Offline
                                    ZurdoDev
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #21

                                    raddevus wrote:

                                    The Universe cannot be infinite

                                    Then where does it end and what's on the other side?

                                    There are two kinds of people in the world: those who can extrapolate from incomplete data. There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

                                    R S R 3 Replies Last reply
                                    0
                                    • F F ES Sitecore

                                      raddevus wrote:

                                      science cannot deal with infinite.

                                      The sum of all positive integer numbers from 1 to infinity is -1/12. Proven by science :)

                                      T Offline
                                      T Offline
                                      TheGreatAndPowerfulOz
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #22

                                      Seems like that's an integer underflow problem -- you need a bigger processor.

                                      #SupportHeForShe Government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got, including your freedom.-Ezra Taft Benson You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun

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                                      • R raddevus

                                        Termi Nater wrote:

                                        basically he says crazy should be kept out of rational business

                                        I certainly hope he disincluded himself then. :laugh: Sincerely, Zigmound Fraud

                                        L Offline
                                        L Offline
                                        Lost User
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #23

                                        heres the executive summary: [The Freud Museum ~ Education ~ Freud and Religion](https://www.freud.org.uk/education/topic/10573/subtopic/40000/) As far as I know he didn't quite disinclude himself, probably because clear cut conclusions are easy only for stupid people.

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                                        • L Lost User

                                          Perhaps more realistically or at least more philosophically pleasing, a finite universe could still be unbounded, for example if it is a 3-ball or 3-torus or something like that. That would mean that you could travel an infinite amount in any direction and never find "the edge" (since there is no edge) but you may find yourself returning to a place you've been before. The volume would be finite that way, but you don't have to worry about how space itself can even have an edge at all and what that might look like. But it isn't really known whether it's finite or not in the first place. It seems to be flat and isotropic, if it actually is flat and isotropic then it is infinite. But it might not be exactly flat, it might be curved less than could be measured so far. Or it might not be isotropic, or both.

                                          R Offline
                                          R Offline
                                          Roland M Smith
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #24

                                          My theory: The universe is like an expanding balloon with everything that currently exists sitting on the surface. Heavy objects like black holes, stars, and planets sink into the surface warping space-time to create gravity. If you could travel at a rate faster than expansion, you would eventually come back around to the starting point. The interior of the balloon is the past.

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