Something out of nothing?

Thelema

Well-known member
Can matter come out of nothing?

Where did all this matter come from for the Big Bang?

Perhaps nothing is actually something and therefore something came out of something else?

Perhaps I need to take a physics class?
 
I think the universe expands and contracts. When it contracts all it can then there's a big bang. When it expands all it can then it starts contracting again.

Where everything came from is anyone's guess.
 
If you're curious about this stuff, I would recommend checking out Stephen Hawking's book A Brief History of Time. It explains all this, and is targeted at the non-scientist. It still gets kind of hard to understand about midway through though.
 

Idioteque

Member
Well a fundamental law of physics is that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed into another state of energy... You can't get something for nothing although under the conditions that lead to the big bang.. who know.
 
Yeah that's about the gist of it. To paraphrase Hawking (and I hope I'm not getting it wrong here), our model of physics breaks down at the big bang, time did not exist before it, or if it did there is no way we could determine what was before, as it is unobservable to us by its very nature.

I think.
 

Dave_McFadden

Well-known member
Thelema said:
Can matter come out of nothing?

Where did all this matter come from for the Big Bang?

Perhaps nothing is actually something and therefore something came out of something else?

Perhaps I need to take a physics class?

It was a "Universe Kit" that you could get at Walmart's or Home Depot. $19.99. It used to come in Big Bang and Steady State sizes. Event Horizon sold separately. I haven't seen it around lately but maybe wait till closer to Christmas.


lucifersam said:
If you're curious about this stuff, I would recommend checking out Stephen Hawking's book A Brief History of Time. It explains all this, and is targeted at the non-scientist. It still gets kind of hard to understand about midway through though.

Seriously, he's right, this is a good book to read. It helps to have a little familiarity with cosmology, but I think it's digestible by anyone. I especially like Hawking's analogy between the "singularity" and the North Pole. But I don't want to give away the ending.
 

Thelema

Well-known member
Idioteque said:
Well a fundamental law of physics is that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed into another state of energy... You can't get something for nothing although under the conditions that lead to the big bang.. who know.

Yes, thats what it is supposed to be the case...but how is the universe here then?

There was either something always or nothing ever...so...there has always been something....but then where did it come from?....maybe nothing is actually something...maybe...really...there is no nothing...the fact that it is nothing means its something....right? :lol:
 

Thelema

Well-known member
lucifersam said:
If you're curious about this stuff, I would recommend checking out Stephen Hawking's book A Brief History of Time. It explains all this, and is targeted at the non-scientist. It still gets kind of hard to understand about midway through though.

I'll check that out!
 
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