Uncovering the Mystery: What Existed Before the Big Bang?

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curious222
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what was it before the Big Bang?can you count one by one?
what was it before the Big Bang?can you count one by one?
 
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  • #2
curious222 said:
Summary:: what was it before the Big Bang?can you count one by one?

what was it before the Big Bang?can you count one by one?
I have no idea what "count one by one" means in this context, but as to what came before the Big Bang, we don't know and all speculation depends on what model you choose. In the standard model of modern cosmology, The Big Bang Theory, there IS NO "before". Everything starts after inflation and that means a tiny fraction of a second after the singularity.
 
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  • #3
Don't know what 'count one by one' means, but we don't know what was before the Big Bang.

It's a bit of an antiquated notion now. We never seriously thought the universe began from a point, and we never thought it started with a bang.

What our theories model is that, at once it is a very small, very dense volume, and at some point, it expanded rapidly to form the precursor of the universe we know and love today.

But science is pretty silent on what might have happened before that initial very hot, very dense state. The wheels fall off our models at that point.
 
  • #4
DaveC426913 said:
Don't know what 'count one by one' means, but we don't know what was before the Big Bang.

It's a bit of an antiquated notion now. We never seriously thought the universe began from a point, and we never thought it started with a bang.

What our theories model is that, at once it is a very small, very dense volume, and at some point, it expanded rapidly to form the precursor of the universe we know and love today.

But science is pretty silent on what might have happened before that initial very hot, very dense state. The wheels fall off our models at that point.
like God, parallel universes, quantum fluctuation ?
 
  • #5
phinds said:
I have no idea what "count one by one" means in this context, but as to what came before the Big Bang, we don't know and all speculation depends on what model you choose. In the standard model of modern cosmology, The Big Bang Theory, there IS NO "before". Everything starts after inflation and that means a tiny fraction of a second after the singularity.
how did the big bang occur if there was no time?
 
  • #6
curious222 said:
how did the big bang occur if there was no time?
It's a MODEL. Nature doesn't care how we model it. We don't know what happened.
 
  • #7
curious222 said:
how did the big bang occur if there was no time?
If I can jump into pave the way.
First we don't do god's, they are not discussed and don't fall within the scope of Scientific enquiry.
Second don't try and think your way out of this. Just read what the current research and stance is on this. NASA website quite good. It's not all worked out, that's the beauty. Plenty to go after.
 
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pinball1970 said:
If I can jump into pave the way.
First we don't do god's, they are not discussed and don't fall within the scope of Scientific enquiry.
Second don't try and think your way out of this. Just read what the current research and stance is on this. NASA website quite good. It's not all worked out, that's the beauty. Plenty to go after.
so, reasons God?
 
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curious222 said:
so, reasons God?
He just means that the PF rules prohibit most religious discussions. You can review the rules under INFO at the top of the page. Here is the part about discussing religion/deities:

Greg Bernhardt said:
Religious Discussion:
Discussions that assert the a priori truth or falsity of religious dogmas and belief systems, or value judgments stemming from such religious belief systems, will not be tolerated. As a rule of thumb, some topics pertaining to religion might be permissible if they are discussed in such a way so as to remain neutral on the truth of, or value judgments stemming from, religious belief systems. However, it is essential to use good judgment whenever discussing religious matters to ensure that the discussion does not degenerate into a messy dispute. If in doubt, err on the side of caution.

Because of the complexity and ambiguity of this subject matter, there are no hard and fast moderation rules that apply over all possible cases. Ultimately, it is up to the administrators and mentors to decide what is appropriate and what is not on a case-by-case basis. Discuss religious matters at your own risk: Administrators and mentors retain the right to lock or delete any religious thread or post at any time without warning or explanation. All administrator and mentor action taken with regard to religious discussions will be final and will not be up for dispute.

Religious proselytizing is strictly prohibited! PF is not the place to promote or discuss particular religious dogma.
 
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  • #10
curious222 said:
how did the big bang occur if there was no time?
It's worth noting that our notions of cause and effect seem to stem from the structure of spacetime, so it's not entirely clear that "what caused the universe to come into existence" has any meaning - or at least, not necessarily in any naive sense.

My understanding is that most current models have an infinite past prior to what's called the Big Bang, anyway. This is "inflation".
 
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  • #11
berkeman said:
He just means that the PF rules prohibit most religious discussions. You can review the rules under INFO at the top of the page. Here is the part about discussing religion/deities:
ok :)
 
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No idea if the OP's curiosity extends to reading science texts, but the thread title and subsequent posts on counting remind me of a well known cosmology book "The First Three Minutes" by Steven Weinberg.

I last read revision 6 updated to reflect COBE among other recent data. Weinberg organizes this readable text numerically by time frames before and after the hypothetical 'three minutes'.
 
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  • #13
This thread has run its course and is now closed.
 

FAQ: Uncovering the Mystery: What Existed Before the Big Bang?

What is the Big Bang theory?

The Big Bang theory is a scientific model that explains the origin of the universe. It states that the universe began as a singularity, a point of infinite density and temperature, and has been expanding and cooling ever since.

What existed before the Big Bang?

This is a question that has puzzled scientists for decades. The truth is, we do not know for sure what existed before the Big Bang. Some theories suggest that there was a previous universe that collapsed and then expanded again, while others propose that time and space did not exist before the Big Bang.

How do scientists study what existed before the Big Bang?

Since we cannot observe anything before the Big Bang, scientists use mathematical models and theories, such as quantum mechanics and general relativity, to try to understand what may have happened. They also study cosmic microwave background radiation and the distribution of galaxies to gather clues about the early universe.

Is the Big Bang the only explanation for the origin of the universe?

No, the Big Bang theory is not the only explanation for the origin of the universe. There are other theories, such as the Steady State theory and the Oscillating Universe theory, that have been proposed. However, the Big Bang theory is currently the most widely accepted explanation based on the available evidence.

Will we ever know for sure what existed before the Big Bang?

It is impossible to say for sure if we will ever know what existed before the Big Bang. As our technology and understanding of the universe continue to advance, we may gain more insight into the origins of the universe. But it is also possible that this mystery may never be fully solved.

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