By Tiffany
The question: Does our universe have an end? Is one of science's biggest mysteries. One may believe that our universe is infinite due to cosmic inflation. Comic inflation is a term describing how our universe is expanding faster than the speed of light. Logically, we can only see events happening within the age of the universe which is 13.8 billion light-years; however, the observable universe is 46 billion light-years. It is still unknown how much longer the universe will continue to expand, thus one concluding that our universe is infinite. On the other hand, one can argue how our universe is finite if we consider the shape of the universe to replicate a donut. Considering how the universe has an area and is edge-free as it is constantly expanding, viewing the universe in the shape of a donut is logical.
Another question to ask when considering whether the universe is infinite or finite is – what is the universe expanding into? In simple words, the universe is expanding into nothing. Imagine a balloon as our universe. If the balloon never pops, the balloon will continue to inflate and endlessly expand as there is more air inside the balloon. Scientists predict that our universe works similarly. The universe has no edge, thus making it infinite, but has a finite volume. Though, it is important to remember that the balloon analogy is only one example.
Seeing how our universe is 13.8 billion years old, there are still countless discoveries yet to be found as light older than what we can now see has not reached us yet. Ultimately, there is no real answer to knowing if the universe is infinite or finite and we may never figure it out.
Sources:
Comments