From: Robert Owen (rowen@technologist.com)
Date: Sat Nov 27 1999 - 20:27:10 MST
After a little more reflection on Sean's post, it occurred to me that
many people (but not necessarily Alexander) do misunderstand the
concept of "the expansion of the universe" [1] because it is a
misnomer, and [2] because of the complementary notion of "The Big
Bang". Both seem to imply a preferred locus.
I hope, without insulting anyone's intelligence, the following simplified
description will be helpful to some members.
Rather than remark that "the Universe is expanding" it is much clearer
to state that it is space itself that is expanding. It's not really that
the galaxies are moving away from us; as space expands, it carries
the galaxies along with it; the analogy of spots on an inflating balloon
is often used here. We are not at the center, as you might naively think
from the astronomical observations that generated the theory; every
galaxy would see every other galaxy rushing away from it, and the
farther the galaxy the faster the recession [as a result of the geometry
of the local perspective].
Now, the idea that the Universe was created in a single moment and has
been expanding ever since is used as the generally accepted model of
the origin of our cosmos (although there are difficulties). The term "Big
Bang" is also a misnomer; nothing really exploded and because the result
was the creation of space, the locus of this event is undecidable; an
explosion implies something blown outward into something else, but since
it was space that was created, there isn't anything into which it could
begin and continue expanding.
On the lighter side, a university student riding on a train with Dr. Einstein
tapped the great man on the shoulder, and asked: "Excuse me professor,
but does New York stop by this train?"
Bob
=======================
Robert M. Owen
Director
The Orion Institute
57 W. Morgan Street
Brevard, NC 28712-3659 USA
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