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Einstein's Cat
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Could an infinite Universe ever end?
Einstein's Cat said:Could an infinite Universe ever end?
PeterDonis said:If by "end" you mean "end in time", i.e., "come to an end", then according to GR, no; any spatially infinite universe must keep expanding forever.
Hornbein said:Care to elucidate?
I'm not sure that's true. You could have universe with a negative cosmological constant and open curvature that recollapses. However, it might not "end" in the sense that quantum gravity might demonstrate that something happens after the recollapse.PeterDonis said:If by "end" you mean "end in space", then obviously not, as DaveC426913 pointed out.
If by "end" you mean "end in time", i.e., "come to an end", then according to GR, no; any spatially infinite universe must keep expanding forever.
Chalnoth said:You could have universe with a negative cosmological constant and open curvature that recollapses.
Chalnoth said:it might not "end" in the sense that quantum gravity might demonstrate that something happens after the recollapse.
The concept of an infinite universe is based on the idea that the universe is boundless and has no end. This means that there is no limit to the size or extent of the universe, and it continues to expand infinitely in all directions.
There is currently no conclusive evidence to prove or disprove the concept of an infinite universe. However, many theories in physics and cosmology, such as the inflationary model of the universe, suggest that the universe may indeed be infinite.
Based on our current understanding of the universe, it is unlikely that an infinite universe will ever come to an end. This is because an infinite universe does not have a boundary or edge, and therefore, there is no way for it to reach an end.
The concept of an infinite universe has a significant impact on our understanding of time. In an infinite universe, time is also infinite and has no beginning or end. This means that events can occur infinitely in the past and future, and the concept of a beginning of the universe is not applicable.
If the universe is truly infinite, it means that there are an infinite number of stars, planets, and galaxies, and therefore, the likelihood of other forms of life existing in the universe increases significantly. However, the vastness and infinite nature of the universe also present challenges in detecting and communicating with any potential extraterrestrial life forms.