ajs@hpfcla.UUCP (05/07/84)
I don't understand two things about the big bang model. Even the recent
Sci Am article on the subject did not clear up my confusion. Anywizard
out there care to jump in and elucidate? (in laymanish, please)
1: Whether the universe expanded from a point or from a small area, it
had sufficent energy density to warp space around itself at some
point in time, right? E.g. the whole universe is inside a black
hole, at least from the point of view of the people inside, right?
So, what is this talk about the universe being open if the current
total mass is lower than some magic value? Did the hole open up?
2: How can the horizon distance ever be larger than the size of the
universe? No matter how fast it expanded, even 10^50 in a short
time as the article suggests, matter can't go faster than
lightspeed. Hence we should be able to see all the way to the other
end of the universe if it came from a single point, right?
Thanks in advance for forthcoming discussion,
Alan Silverstein, Hewlett-Packard Fort Collins Systems Division, Colorado
{ihnp4 | hplabs}!hpfcla!ajs, 303-226-3800 x3053, N 40 31'31" W 105 00'43"