Re: [asa] big bang question ... and the start of matter...

Hi Bernie, The formation of normal matter is often described as energy condensing into matter. During the expansion of Inflation/Big Bang, energy "cooled" due to expansion, and simple protons and neutrons were the first to form (ignoring possible strings and quarks). Nucleosynthesis predicts from the theory that the universe should have been able to form a mix of hydrogen and helium in proportions of ~75% and ~25%, with some trace elements, which is what astronomers are finding to be the case. Keep in mind that this theory makes no attempt at addressing the origin of energy itself since Big Bang Theory has a starting point slightly after t=0, and goes from their, not unlike evolution theory which also does not embrace life's beginning. [Lemaitre's original substance was called the "cosmic egg" or "primordial atom", as if some kind of super dense substance existed.] It seems unlikely, too, that a theory will come along that will encompass a t=0 moment. A legitimate theory must be observable and falsifiable to be a scientific theory, contrary to some "theories", such as the Parallel Universes Theory, which is an amazing extrapolation from quantum mechanics. Of course, quantum mechanics certainly helps to explain the anisotropy that is now observed in the CMBR (cosmic microwave background radiation). Because of the isotropy (uniformity) of the early universe, particles would have "condnesed" everywhere at essentially the same instant in time. Both the isotropy and anisotropy seen in the CMBR are very powerful arguments favoring Big Bang Theory. [I understand that there is now little to no funding given for alternative theories until one comes along that is a legitimate rival. If BBT begins to unravel somehow, a new one will come along, no doubt.] George C. ----- Original Message ---- From: "Dehler, Bernie" <bernie.dehler@intel.com> To: asa@calvin.edu Sent: Monday, May 5, 2008 6:01:00 PM Subject: RE: [asa] big bang question ... and the start of matter... Like they say in the “expelled” movie- there is a time you have no life and then a time you have life. On the existence part, is there a time with no particles at all, then you have your very first particle? Any idea what this very first particle is? Is it one electron orbiting a neutron (hydrogen)? Sounds like you are saying there are some theories as to how or what this first mass might be, but they are still just competing theories at this point? George said: “The transition from a state of no particles to one of 2 (or of N) particles would be discontinuous but quantum theory allows such "jumps." “ When you say going from no particles to 1 or 2, what do you mean by ‘particle’ (is it an electron?). From: George Murphy [mailto:gmurphy@raex.com] Sent: Monday, May 05, 2008 3:05 PM To: Dehler, Bernie; asa@calvin.edu Subject: Re: [asa] big bang question ... and the start of matter... Bernie - Briefly, matter could come into existence from a state of zero energy if its mc^2 energy plus any kinetic energy were exactly cancelled by its negative gravitational potential energy. In the simplest case of 2 particles of mass m at a distance r, 2mc^2 - Gm^2/r = 0. In a more general case of a homogeneous distribution of matter, this corresponds to the spatially closed universes of Einstein's theory. The transition from a state of no particles to one of 2 (or of N) particles would be discontinuous but quantum theory allows such "jumps." Thus you need a correct quantum theory of gravitation to make this work rigorously & whether we have that or not is a matter of debate. Shalom George http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/ ----- Original Message ----- From: Dehler, Bernie To: asa@calvin.edu Sent: Monday, May 05, 2008 5:12 PM Subject: [asa] big bang question ... and the start of matter... A question about the big bang. As I understand it, at the moment ‘before’ the big bang, there was nothing material- not even an electron. After the big-bang, energy started converting to matter, according to E=MC^2 Question- how can this equation balance at the very start, where M approaches 0? You have M approaches zero on the right side of the equation, and E approaching infinity on the left, correct? C is just a (relatively small) constant, so it can’t have much of any effect. I’m wondering how this equation works, with the left side approaching infinity and the right approaching zero; but it is balanced…? I understand that the theory breaks down as you get closer to the start of the big bang- any idea how close you can get to the big bang before breaks—how many atoms exist? The “expelled” movie makes a big deal of science not knowing how life came from non-life. I wonder also about atoms coming from no matter—at one point there is no matter, then at another you’ve got electrons orbiting a nucleus. If you can explain, please keep it short- to a few paragraphs. ...Bernie "It's turtles all the way down!"

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Received on Mon May 5 22:38:20 2008