- #1
Peter 99
- 3
- 0
If there is a big crunch will space collapse with the matter?
Drakkith said:It's difficult to talk about 'space itself'. Other than being 'bent' by mass, energy, and stress, space doesn't seem to have any properties that could collapse. It would certainly be heavily altered by the presence of extreme amounts of mass in a small volume, but I don't know I'd go so far to say that 'space collapses'.
If I understand the standard big bang theory correctly, space is like a balloon and is taking the clumps of matter along for the ride as it is expanding, so to initiate a big crunch would space have to start collapsing, or would matter start collapsing, in effect the air would be let out of the balloon? But, what is more interesting to me is how, by what physical means does space latch onto clumps of matter, how does space become a balloon?Drakkith said:It's difficult to talk about 'space itself'. Other than being 'bent' by mass, energy, and stress, space doesn't seem to have any properties that could collapse. It would certainly be heavily altered by the presence of extreme amounts of mass in a small volume, but I don't know I'd go so far to say that 'space collapses'.
bahamagreen said:If space can expand, how couldn't it collapse...?
Peter 99 said:If I understand the standard big bang theory correctly, space is like a balloon and is taking the clumps of matter along for the ride as it is expanding, so to initiate a big crunch would space have to start collapsing, or would matter start collapsing, in effect the air would be let out of the balloon? But, what is more interesting to me is how, by what physical means does space latch onto clumps of matter, how does space become a balloon?
A big crunch is a hypothetical event in the universe's timeline where the expansion of the universe eventually stops and starts to contract, eventually leading to the collapse of all matter back into a singularity.
Yes, according to current theories, the space itself will collapse along with the matter during a big crunch. This is because space and matter are interconnected in the fabric of spacetime, and the collapse of matter will also cause the collapse of space.
The big crunch and the big bang are two different hypothetical scenarios in the timeline of the universe. The big bang is the beginning of the universe, where all matter and energy were concentrated in a singularity and then expanded rapidly. The big crunch, on the other hand, is the opposite scenario where the expansion of the universe eventually stops and starts to contract.
Currently, there is no concrete evidence for a big crunch. In fact, recent observations suggest that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, which goes against the idea of a big crunch. However, the possibility of a big crunch is still being studied and researched by scientists.
It is difficult to say what would happen to life on Earth during a big crunch. As the universe contracts, it is likely that the Earth and all other celestial bodies would be pulled towards each other, causing extreme gravitational forces. This could potentially lead to the destruction of life on Earth, but it is also possible that life could adapt to these extreme conditions. However, since a big crunch is still a hypothetical event, it is impossible to accurately predict its effects on life.