World Science Scholars

2.5 Cosmic Deceleration

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    • One of Einstein’s great contributions to astrophysics was the idea of a cosmological constant—but he formulated his ideas in the context of long-held assumptions about the universe, which turned out to be false. Technology, in his time, was holding back deeper truths about the universe. Do you think the same can be said today? Will we upend some of our fundamental beliefs in science once technology advances significantly?

    • Yes, definitely. It is not a personal belief but rather a fact that no matter how much we think we know or understand, we would eventually hit a wall or fathom the physics more, marking all previous discoveries as absurd or technically false in a way. The truth is nothing is just “false”- just like the cosmological constant – they are rather essential steps to what we now know.

    • With the advancement of technology today, I do feel in time the deeper truth about the universe will get unrevealed.

    • One of my professors says that “there is no wrong thing in physics. there are just things of which we found a less wrong version”

    • it is true for our generation also. what we find to be now suited or true may not be true or maybe substituted when the proper technological developments comeforth. not onky is the universe,but also human talent and intelligence is also accelerating at rabbit scale. i have heard that coming forth of quantum computers can solve many problems unsolved in astrophysics. we can only hope.

    • maybe . we can only hope for positive developments.

    • this made me interested more to reed the general relative theory..

    • From what i understand, universe has a lot of secrets that are yet to be discovered. Some of the findings are proven mathematically but we cant confirm its actual existence. Although mathematics is the greatest tool to unveil the secret of this universe just like the black hole discovery. As humankind will advance technologically, we will start to find new things out in the universe that will blow our minds in most beautiful way. Integration of technology and mathematics is one thing that is quite necessary to achieve such advancements.

    • As we got to know that Einstein stated about that ”cosmological constant” when astronomers told him about the universe i.e the Milky Way galaxy at that time. Now according to multiverse theory it will be possible that the one of the universe may feel the Big Bang and Big Crunch every second in every minute in every hour in every day in every year and simultaneously in every light year. So the first work of ours to develop some new kind of mathematical tools and new kind of physics which will help us to understand about the DARK MATTER and COSMOLOGICAL CONSTANT (DARK ENERGY).

    • We always discover more with time, and uncover new truths.

    • Yes, the humans will make possible the impossible.

    • Yes. Time will come and the general theory of relativity will be replaced. This makes all the theory of this and the previous centuries’ prediction will be falsified. It is not a bad thing at all.

    • We will know more. We will advance. And we will look back to these times, just as we are now to those of Einstein, reminding ourselves of how his knowledge and given information was limited, as are ours.
      However, the focus of man’s understanding of the universe should not be reliant on the advancement of technology, as was implied in the question, but on the evident inevitability of humans’ independent thinking new and better.

    • A combination of smart thinking and technology to test theoretical predictions will increase our understanding. Older theories are not always “falsified”, they are simply expanded upon and clarified. Relativity did not “falsify” Newtonian dynamics, relativity showed the Newtonian system to be a limited case. Similarly, either relativity or quantum mechanics (or both) is/are limited views of a broader truth.

    • I think that as technology advances some ideas will be dropped, but (if it were to happen) it will most likely be to unravel some deep truth of the Universe that couldn’t have been described with some older idea or principle.

    • Is the edge of our Universe where all matter ends or where gravity goes to zero?

    • We do not even fully understand what is water or hydrogen or oxygen. We have models of what these elements are and what they do, but do we really know what they are? It is fun to try to understand these things, but until we understand what is life, it will be difficult to piece together what is the cosmos.

    • Surely. History has proven this will eventually happen.

    • I don’t think ;the idea of Cosmo-Constant is based on false observations; is correct, this number is there to make sure, his theory is true regardless of the time being observations. I Also Believe Our Imagination Stil Is Ahead Of Our Knowledge.

    • The edge of the Universe is a sphere where matter is receding from our view at the speed of light.
      Using the Hubble constant of acceleration of 73.6 Km/sec per megaparsec (mp), and
      assuming this constant applies to all regions of space and has not changed since the Big Bang,
      the distance at which the recession velocity equals the speed of light should be,
      300,000 Km/sec divided by 73.6 Km/sec per mp = 4,076 mp which converted to light years gives
      4,076 mp x 3.26 ly/p = 13,288 millions of light years
      which I believe matches the distance of the farthest galaxies that can be observed
      This is the radius of such sphere, thus the diameter of our observable universe should be 26,576 million light years
      I am not sure of the result and would appreciate your comments and corrections

    • We are still in the blind. An overall acceptance of ideas makes it different to get out of this box we have been put in. A big shift in the way of thinking, and overall consciousness, is occurring and I believe that will be key. Being open to reinterpretation and redefining what has been set in stone will be the intellectual liberation needed to expand our minds and even our desires. Until the powers that be find a more harmonious way to control the people, societal set backs will hold back humanity’s evolution.

    • Most likely some of today’s sacred cows will implode.

    • Sure

    • Yes, definitely. It is not a personal belief but rather a fact that no matter how much we think we know or understand, we would eventually hit a wall or fathom the physics more, marking all previous discoveries as absurd or technically false in a way. The truth is nothing is just “false”- just like the cosmological constant – they are rather essential steps to what we now know.

    • I heard a comment made by Brian Green that observations of the future night sky may lead future astronomers to determine a future universe to be dark and cold with sparsely distributed black holes resulting from the effects of the big chill. This may be the correct determination of future observations but what will future astronomers think of the discoveries of current day astronomers who describe our universe to be full of light and detailed structure? Will astronomers of the future determine our discoveries to be incorrect because they derive a different conclusion based on their observations or will they trust us that the universe was once as we describe it? We may be living through a unique period where the discoveries we make today may not be possible to make at any other stage in the life of the universe. I believe we cannot just assume that our knowledge will continue to grow in time. Without an effort to preserve the historical record and follow proper scientific processes, our future knowledge could in fact decline.

    • good

    • Most likely. We cannot say where or when exactly, but one could probably estimate using historical data the probability distribution of such scientific paradigm shifts for cosmology.

    • Mankind’s knowledge of the universe is continually evolving and will continue to do so, unless we are made an extinct species by some astronomical event e.g. an asteroid or by our own destruction.

    • I think the parallel Universes that Scientis and physicists like Dr Greene are essentially the ones created in the consciousness of different groups of humans and animals. Each believes in the interpretation of the skies and the world around us based on their own ideologies and religious beliefs. These Universes or branes/brains are constantly colliding and sparking of discussions sometimes very heated and completely divergent. Most of us recognize the under/netherworld, visible world and the heavenly world no matter what philosophy or ideology or religion we put our faith in.

    • Possibly or probably, as it has always been the tendency of science. Tomorrow brings the new news. Wouldn’t it be almost foolish to say the contrary.

    • Science keeps on changing its views on cosmology as newer theories and equations are derived and becomes the latest craze. I think religious beliefs about cosmology remain steadfast withoiut modifications until science eventually catches up with it. So I will remain patient until string theory gets proven or disproven.
      So far my faith has remained steady and unwavering both on religion and science.

    • Yes, i think its inevitable. Technology will shed light on our mistaken beliefs and we will continue to refine our understanding.

    • One of Einstein’s great contributions to astrophysics was the idea of a cosmological constant—but he formulated his ideas in the context of long-held assumptions about the universe, which turned out to be false. Technology, in his time, was holding back deeper truths about the universe. Do you think the same can be said today? Will we upend some of our fundamental beliefs in science once technology advances significantly?

      Yes I think so, I see technology as the extention of our very limited senses, so their advancement will surely advances our understanding about the universe as well. I think we’re now facing the same problem as Einstein did back then, we have some mathematically consistent theories about the universe, but unfortunately we can’t test them now because we simply don’t have the tools to do that yet.

    • As Ruth Bingham wrote over a year ago – smarter thinking and improved technolgy can combine to give us a sharper insight, that can improve upon our previous understanding.
      With better tools we might be able to do a better job – or perhaps we are the weak link!
      Consider: only 10% of the cells in our (human) bodies are actually human, and those few (human) cells contain DNA that is is 50% identical to that of a banana…

    • Yes. Some. To what degree? Not much. There will always be the need for even newer technology. And that’s what is called progress 😊

    • Absolutely yes. Just watch James Burkes’ “The Day The Universe Changed” and see how many times scientists have been “wrong”.

    • There are always things that we didn’t think about that can suddenly show up unexpectedly and take us by surprise.
      Sandokan Sahara-Khan

    • Yes, of course.

    • Technology will end some fundamental beliefs. But we cannot ignore geography of Existentialism out of Copenhagen.

      Hopefully big rips and big chills are not of immediate concern to survival.

    • It is only a matter of time until we have amassed more technological prowess that we will surpass previous notations this will result in a more informed and subsequently more elaborate view of the mechanisms at play within the universe that we observe. Even as I write today, new telescopes, such as the James Web telescope are already upheaving preconceived notations about what the universe is and was. And so I can only imagine and look into the past to inform the future that it would be asinine of me to assume that future advances in technology wouldn’t affect the same effects that they previously did.

    • With the bigger picture we have now mightn’t Einstein rescind his retraction> like gravity as force attract but as field repel? But I digress, with history to go by do we sometimes leave truths in the garbage for one misstep, like GW detection at one point was impossible now it is factual. CC discarded never to be used again? Aether comes to mind one mirror run was enough to take it off the table, but I keep hearing about other words used to describe similar phenomena space/time fabric of the universe, branes, sheets etc. are those disproved or not? excellent presentation of your science.

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