If the Big Bang Happened...

[CynthiaCypher]

If the Big Bang happened and nobody was there to hear it, did it make a sound?

I am serious.

 

[viole]

Yes, you can hear it today in the form of gravitational waves.

And before you argue that this happened in the past when there was nobody around, remember that Quantistic collapse of the probability wave, by means of observers, can happen in the far past.

Ciao

- viole

 

[technomage]

If the Big Bang happened and nobody was there to hear it, did it make a sound?

I am serious.

The big bang was not an "explosion" (in the sense of something detonating), but an expansion of space-time from a finite point to a large expanse. The closest analogy possible is blowing up a balloon, except instead of air pressure in a latex bubble, the entire universe expanded.

As such, it probably did not make a "noise" in any sense that we as human beings could hear.

 

[Jainarayan]

Exactly, it didn't make a sound because there was no medium (air) to travel through. Nor did it give off light. Remember the tag line from the movie Alien... "In space no one can hear you scream". Cripes, that movie scared the peanuts out of my M&Ms.

 

[ametist]

if the big bang happened why isnt it happeing again?

I am serious.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, then how many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?

I am serious.

 

[Jainarayan]

if the big bang happened why isnt it happeing again?

I am serious.

It might be happening right now, somewhere else. Like on the other side of one of our black holes.

 

[CynthiaCypher]

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, then how many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?

I am serious.

A quarter of a bushel of pickled peppers obviously.

 

[Tumah]

The big bang was not an "explosion" (in the sense of something detonating), but an expansion of space-time from a finite point to a large expanse. The closest analogy possible is blowing up a balloon, except instead of air pressure in a latex bubble, the entire universe expanded.

As such, it probably did not make a "noise" in any sense that we as human beings could hear.

Its funny, because after seeing this, it seems obvious, but I naturally always pictured a big explosion.

 

[Amechania]

FYI, the Big Bang was accompanied by Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks."

 

[Jainarayan]

Its funny, because after seeing this, it seems obvious, but I naturally always pictured a big explosion.

It was Fred Hoyle who coined the term. Some say it was mockingly, others say not. It's funny how the idea of a huge, loud, fiery explosion stuck, when it wasn't anything like that, just from those two words.

 

[Tumah]

It was Fred Hoyle who coined the term. Some say it was mockingly, others say not. It's funny how the idea of a huge, loud, fiery explosion stuck, when it wasn't anything like that, just from those two words.

So you're saying the Big Crunch wasn't meant to draw a parallel to Ruffles potato chips???

 

[Jainarayan]

We'll have to wait and see. But if there is a Big Crunch, there darn well better be some onion dip!

 

[Breathe]

It might be happening right now, somewhere else. Like on the other side of one of our black holes.

This is something I've pondered myself. I'd love to know what a few scientists think about this idea.

 

[Jainarayan]

I think a few of them hold that view. I think Michio Kaku might be one of them... he's pretty progressive, more so than other theoretical physicists. And he's a big sci-fi fan.

 

[Mycroft]

If the Big Bang happened and nobody was there to hear it, did it make a sound?

I am serious.

No. Because there is no sound in a vacuum.

 

[Mycroft]

I think a few of them hold that view. I think Michio Kaku might be one of them... he's pretty progressive, more so than other theoretical physicists. And he's a big sci-fi fan.

That's because he's a theoretical physicist.

 

[Jainarayan]

Mine makes a lot of noise. And Nature certainly doesn't abhor vacuums as much as I do.

 

[Tumah]

We'll have to wait and see. But if there is a Big Crunch, there darn well better be some onion dip!

But by the time we get there it will be too lateeeetal oot eb lliw ti ereht teg ew emit eht yb tuB

 

[Jainarayan]

But by the time we get there it will be too lateeeetal oot eb lliw ti ereht teg ew emit eht yb tuB

The Big Bounce?