tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539837.post8757445333365910526..comments2024-01-19T04:29:08.081-06:00Comments on subrealism: the blurred reality of humanityUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539837.post-50841118742376093542011-04-24T07:48:29.026-05:002011-04-24T07:48:29.026-05:00Into what is the universe expanding? http://www.gu...Into what is the universe expanding? http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2011/apr/13/into-what-is-universe-expanding<br /><br />Infinities behave in strange ways. One analogy often used is to consider the surface of a balloon. This is infinite in the sense that it has no edge, but as the balloon is inflated, every point on its surface moves away from every other. However, although the balloon's surface is two-dimensional, the three-dimensional balloon itself is expanding. If we extend this analogy to the three- dimensional universe, we must conclude that space is curved, and that the universe is expanding into a fourth dimension.<br /><br />Perhaps a better way to understand the situation is to consider the properties of infinite mathematical series. There is an infinite number of counting numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, etc). Only half of them are even. But there is also an infinite number of even numbers – every counting number can be multiplied by 2. In the same way, in an infinite universe, when everything is twice as far apart as it is now, there will be still be enough room for everything.<br /><br />Tim Lidbetter, Kingston, Surrey<br /><br />The universe, I believe, by the act of expansion creates time and space into which, if you wish, you could say it fits, but it is not filling a void as such.<br /><br />Nic Greene, Richmond, Surrey<br /><br />Our universe is all of space-time, and space-time is all of our universe. Our language, with the possible exception of mathematics, is rooted in space-time, and we have no language for "that-which-is-not-space-time". There is no "what" that the universe is expanding into because "what", "where" and "when" are properties of space-time, not that-which-is-not-space-time.<br /><br />So where does that leave us? Unfortunately, it leaves us with Wittgenstein: "What can be said at all can be said clearly, and what we cannot talk about we must pass over in silence." Sorry.<br /><br />Jim Ford, Watford, Herts<br /><br />It's confined by the mesh that the flying spaghetti monster is knitting with his noodly stick. Either that or it has something to do with the hypersphere as described by Poincaré, making the universe finite but unbounded.<br /><br />Dave Foddy, Northwich, CheshireCNuhttp://subrealism.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com