Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: Joe L. Ogan on 24/11/2009 22:17:34

Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Joe L. Ogan on 24/11/2009 22:17:34
What is the current thinking about there being more than one (maybe many) Universes?  Since Universe is an all encompassing meaning, What will we name them?  Does anyone think that the reason for acceleration of expansion of the Universe may be the pull of gravity from other Universes?   Thanks for your comments.  Joe L. Ogan
Title: Re: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: wolfekeeper on 25/11/2009 02:09:22
It's difficult to prove, but as far as Quantum Mechanics is concerned, one of the main explanations seems to say that the universe is splitting all the time into sub universes.

They also join again though, provided they do that quickly (and you can see them joining fairly easily). If they're separated for too long then they go their own way, because they're incompatible.

There's no known connection with expansion of the universe though; although there are some guesses.
Title: Re: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Don_1 on 25/11/2009 08:38:38
If you regard our universe as the ultimate system in which galaxies and our solar system are subsystems, then I see no reason why it should not be that somewhere out there in the wild blue black yonder, there should not be other similar systems. These other 'universes' may well have an effect on our universe.

Perhaps one day in the next few 1000 billion years these universes will encroach on each other, just as the ripples from a number of stones thrown into a pond would do.

Alternatively, the continued acceleration of the universe may be because it hasn't yet reach its full speed. 13 - 14 billion years is not a long time (by universe standards), so it may not reach its full speed for quite some time to come.

There again, perhaps it will continue to accelerate, after all, there is nothing to stop it accelerating, is there? Or is there???
Title: Re: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: peppercorn on 25/11/2009 12:55:32
Alternatively, the continued acceleration of the universe may be because it hasn't yet reach its full speed. 13 - 14 billion years is not a long time (by universe standards), so it may not reach its full speed for quite some time to come.
I've never heard the idea that the universe might have a 'full speed'. We are talking about the spacial dimensions expanding at a constantly increasing rate here, aren't we?
This suggests that dimensions might have a upper elastic limit. Have we any reason at present to believe they do?
Title: Re: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Don_1 on 25/11/2009 15:04:49
Alternatively, the continued acceleration of the universe may be because it hasn't yet reach its full speed. 13 - 14 billion years is not a long time (by universe standards), so it may not reach its full speed for quite some time to come.
I've never heard the idea that the universe might have a 'full speed'. We are talking about the spacial dimensions expanding at a constantly increasing rate here, aren't we?
This suggests that dimensions might have a upper elastic limit. Have we any reason at present to believe they do?

Nope, certainly not. It was pure conjecture on my part.
Title: Re: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: LeeE on 25/11/2009 15:16:36
You can define the 'universe' in a couple of different ways.

You can define it as being totality of everything, in which case other universes are not possible because if they exist then they are part of the everything that defines the universe.

On the other hand though, you can define the universe as a subset of a larger superset, in which case other subsets might also exist.  These other subsets may have partial, or no overlap with ours, so there's the possibility of parts of our universe existing in another universe, and visa versa.  Most string theories define our four-dimensional universe as a subset of a higher order dimensional universe.
Title: Re: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Joe L. Ogan on 25/11/2009 15:25:29
Thanks, Lee.  I appreciate the explanation.  Joe L. Ogan
Title: Re: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: variationz on 26/11/2009 04:25:10
More than one Universe or World is impossible and here is the answer...
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=26911.0
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Joe L. Ogan on 26/11/2009 13:37:19
More than one Universe or World is impossible and here is the answer...
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=26911.0
  Try the "Big Rip Theory"  Regards, Joe L. Ogan
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Mr. Scientist on 26/11/2009 18:27:22
I beleieve Dr Smolin has made his contentions on this matter clear. He said that there is really essentially only one universe, and time is also essentially local. But its an interpretation but one i liken myself too.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Mr. Scientist on 26/11/2009 18:29:01
Besides... its a bit of an ad absurdum concerning other universes, when the term universe is really meant to mean it encompasses everything.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Vern on 27/11/2009 12:40:47
There is a hypothetical Reality Theory. (http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=26802.0) In it there are a couple of postulates from which develop the totality of our observed universe.

Postulate: The final irreducible constituent of all physical reality is the electromagnetic field. Maxwell.

Postulate: Time and space are invariant. Poincare; Lorentz.

Those two postulates alone demand and predict all relativity phenomena, as Poincare and Lorentz demonstrated. All of the predicted phenomena are exactly as is observed. (http://photontheory.com/TheEvidence.html) There has never been any observation of any phenomena that would suggest one of the postulates may not be reality.

So the empty space we can sense has two properties; they are electric permittivity and magnetic permeability. Our sensible universe exists within those two properties of empty space.

There may very well be other properties of empty space that we can not sense. Whole other universes that sense these other properties might exist in the same place and time as our own without interference.

Of course that is speculation, as is the question.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Mr. Scientist on 27/11/2009 20:04:52
There is a hypothetical Reality Theory. (http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=26802.0) In it there are a couple of postulates from which develop the totality of our observed universe.

Postulate: The final irreducible constituent of all physical reality is the electromagnetic field. Maxwell.

Postulate: Time and space are invariant. Poincare; Lorentz.

Those two postulates alone demand and predict all relativity phenomena, as Poincare and Lorentz demonstrated. All of the predicted phenomena are exactly as is observed. (http://photontheory.com/TheEvidence.html) There has never been any observation of any phenomena that would suggest one of the postulates may not be reality.

So the empty space we can sense has two properties; they are electric permittivity and magnetic permeability. Our sensible universe exists within those two properties of empty space.

There may very well be other properties of empty space that we can not sense. Whole other universes that sense these other properties might exist in the same place and time as our own without interference.

Of course that is speculation, as is the question.

It might be a lot of speculation, but where i have bolded, i tend to agree wholeheartedly.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Farsight on 28/11/2009 21:50:01
What is the current thinking about there being more than one (maybe many) Universes?  Since Universe is an all encompassing meaning..
There's only one universe Joe, just as there's only one everything.

Does anyone think that the reason for acceleration of expansion of the Universe may be the pull of gravity from other Universes?
Not me. The universe exapnds because space has its stress-energy described by a tensor. Stress is like pressure. Space has a pressure. Hence it expands.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: ScientificBoyZClub on 29/11/2009 14:17:44
it's string theory or there could be lots of universe. which are not even been detected by Hubble space telescope !!.......
String theory says about existence of multiverse in higher dimensions..
which can not be seen or touched.
which has it own time coordinates.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: peppercorn on 01/12/2009 10:50:51
The term 'universe' has become rather ambiguous of late.
Yes, it does mean 'all that there is', but is commonly used to describe our four observable space-time dimensions and all contained within.

Multi-verses are purely conjecture at present, but I think it makes sense to keep the work universe for 'our' space & time and add an extra term - like 'multi-verse' for the next level; proven or not.

Does anyone think that the reason for acceleration of expansion of the Universe may be the pull of gravity from other Universes?
As far as I know, no current M-theory allows gravitational interactions between particles in different universes.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Vern on 01/12/2009 12:04:41
There seems to be at least two concepts about what other universes mean. To me the universe means all that we can sense with our senses as they are amplified by mechanical means. Other universes would be some parallel existing void filled with things that it can contain.

As soon as we can sense this other universe, to me it becomes part of our own. It seems that String and M would have the other dimensions interact and so would then not be in the class of Other universe as I feel it.

Of course anyone making a theory is free to define Universe as they like.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: ScientificBoyZClub on 01/12/2009 13:10:58
There seems to be at least two concepts about what other universes mean. To me the universe means all that we can sense with our senses as they are amplified by mechanical means. Other universes would be some parallel existing void filled with things that it can contain.

As soon as we can sense this other universe, to me it becomes part of our own. It seems that String and M would have the other dimensions interact and so would then not be in the class of Other universe as I feel it.

Of course anyone making a theory is free to define Universe as they like.
how on earth can we find or travel into world of Higher Dimensions ?
we got 12 dimensions.
we know only 4d ??
how physics would solve this problem ??
exploring higher D??

I think we need to USE the gravitons.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Mr. Scientist on 01/12/2009 16:25:24
There seems to be at least two concepts about what other universes mean. To me the universe means all that we can sense with our senses as they are amplified by mechanical means. Other universes would be some parallel existing void filled with things that it can contain.

As soon as we can sense this other universe, to me it becomes part of our own. It seems that String and M would have the other dimensions interact and so would then not be in the class of Other universe as I feel it.

Of course anyone making a theory is free to define Universe as they like.
how on earth can we find or travel into world of Higher Dimensions ?
we got 12 dimensions.
we know only 4d ??
how physics would solve this problem ??
exploring higher D??

I think we need to USE the gravitons.

Yup, gravitons would be start. If we could even observe the small levels in which the dimensions are curled up would also be noval.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: peppercorn on 01/12/2009 16:26:50
Of course anyone making a theory is free to define Universe as they like.
Well, to a point!
I've noticed some individuals on this site have a habit of using scientific terms (like Light) to mean just about anything they like!  IMO, this seems dangerous to accept this habit as it then undermines any sensible debate on their ideas.

Talking of which, M-theory & multi-universe theory are completely different concepts, are they not? [I think I got them confused earlier there myself!]

Dimensions ?
we got 12 dimensions.
we know only 4d ??
There is only direct evidence for 4 dimensions at present.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Mr. Scientist on 01/12/2009 18:30:36
Of course anyone making a theory is free to define Universe as they like.
Well, to a point!
I've noticed some individuals on this site have a habit of using scientific terms (like Light) to mean just about anything they like!  IMO, this seems dangerous to accept this habit as it then undermines any sensible debate on their ideas.

Talking of which, M-theory & multi-universe theory are completely different concepts, are they not? [I think I got them confused earlier there myself!]

Dimensions ?
we got 12 dimensions.
we know only 4d ??
There is only direct evidence for 4 dimensions at present.

Time being a physical direction is not so direct, i must had however.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: LeeE on 01/12/2009 18:46:04
There is only direct evidence for 4 dimensions at present.

I'm not so sure of that.  Consider two bodies, one that undergoes no acceleration and one that does.  The body that accelerates will experience time dilation.  After a given period of time t for the non-accelerating body, the accelerating body will not have existed for the same length of time i.e. the non-accelerating body with be t old but the accelerating body will be < t old.  If they both occupy the same time dimension then it would seem that after the period t the accelerating object will not yet exist whereas the non-accelerating object will.  In practice of course, both bodies exist simultaneously, regardless of their rate in time i.e. they share the same instant of 'now' even though they're traveling at different rates through time, which in turn suggests that they are at the same point in at least one temporal dimension, even though their own temporal dimensions have diverged.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Mr. Scientist on 01/12/2009 18:49:40
There is only direct evidence for 4 dimensions at present.

I'm not so sure of that.  Consider two bodies, one that undergoes no acceleration and one that does.  The body that accelerates will experience time dilation.  After a given period of time t for the non-accelerating body, the accelerating body will not have existed for the same length of time i.e. the non-accelerating body with be t old but the accelerating body will be < t old.  If they both occupy the same time dimension then it would seem that after the period t the accelerating object will not yet exist whereas the non-accelerating object will.  In practice of course, both bodies exist simultaneously, regardless of their rate in time i.e. they share the same instant of 'now' even though they're traveling at different rates through time, which in turn suggests that they are at the same point in at least one temporal dimension, even though their own temporal dimensions have diverged.

Just to add, the point of ''now'' in time has a special name. It's called asymptotic time.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Joe L. Ogan on 01/12/2009 20:11:00
asymptotic would mean no symtotic time to me.  Does it have a different meaning in scientific parlance?  Joe L. Ogan
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Mr. Scientist on 01/12/2009 20:51:48
asymptotic would mean no symtotic time to me.  Does it have a different meaning in scientific parlance?  Joe L. Ogan

Yes it has a different parlance.

What is the time that every human being on the worldd comes to agreement on? This is the time that is called asymptotic.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Joe L. Ogan on 01/12/2009 21:17:42
Interesting.  I did not think that one could ever get everyone to agree on anything.  Grin.  Thanks for the definition.  I had never heard the word before.  Joe L. Ogan
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Mr. Scientist on 01/12/2009 21:19:27
Interesting.  I did not think that one could ever get everyone to agree on anything.  Grin.  Thanks for the definition.  I had never heard the word before.  Joe L. Ogan

Of course we can. It's called syhncronocity.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Mr. Scientist on 01/12/2009 21:20:46
Then we just come to accept that time we experience is asymptotic... meaning that our time we have come to agree on (lets say) the UK, can be made sense of the time experienced by the US, which is about 7 hours behind us.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Joe L. Ogan on 01/12/2009 21:44:12
Mr. Scientist, You are surely increasing my vocabulary.  (Syhncronocity)  This is the closest that I could find to the spelling (synchronicity).  Is that it? Thanks.  Joe L. Ogan 
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Mr. Scientist on 01/12/2009 21:48:47
You're welcome. Anytime.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Joe L. Ogan on 02/12/2009 00:06:54
You're welcome. Anytime.

I am not sure that you will get the question that I asked above:  The closest that I could find to the spelling was Synchronicity.  Is that the correct spelling of the word that you used?  Thanks, Joe L. Ogan
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Mr. Scientist on 02/12/2009 00:08:32
Synchronicity - yes... how did i spell it last time... either way, sorry for the literal mistake.
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Joe L. Ogan on 02/12/2009 00:13:51
I believe that you spelled it as:  syhncronocity.  No problema, we have the correct spelling now.  Thanks, Joe L. Ogan
Title: What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
Post by: Mr. Scientist on 02/12/2009 00:17:43
fine then.