Is the universe finite or infinite?

Parsifal · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:14

Time for another neverending debate!

Do you believe the universe is finite or infinite? Explain your reasons.

Also what is the current scientific belief and the evidence behind it?

Thanks.

manic_man · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:20

At any one infinitely small moment in time, it is finite. Allowing for an infinite amount of time to elapse, it is also infinite.

Basically.

Glaucus · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:22

Universe finite
empty space to expand into infinite

G-MAN2004 · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:24

It's finite because it has boundaries, however whatever it's expanding in to is infinite.

Rroff · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:28

I don't think we can say for sure, from the data we have today its like AcidHell2 said.

But to put a completely different spin on it, if this universe was infact say a simulation on a computer system then it could be bound by the storage constraints on the system running the simulation for instance.

ash_scotland88 · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:29

Why do I keep reading the title as "Is the university finite or infinite?"

Inquisitor · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:29

Radiation's bizarre and distorted "theories" in 3, 2, 1...

G-MAN2004 said:
It's finite because it has boundaries, however whatever it's expanding in to is infinite.

It's not expanding "into" anything, in the same way that a spherical surface has no "outside".

salami1212 · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:39

G-MAN2004 said:
It's finite because it has boundaries, however whatever it's expanding in to is infinite.

Well then it isnt finite. As whatever it is expanding into is surely still the universe.

Glaucus · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:42

salami1212 said:
Well then it isnt finite. As whatever it is expanding into is surely still the universe.

The universe has matter and stuff in it. The expandinto bit is just a pure vacume, no nothing. Or you could choose one of the other theorys like the doughnut shaped universe.

yhack · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:43

If it was infinite then there would be an infinite amount of stars so the sky would be white all the time, so it's finite.

salami1212 · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:45

yhack said:
If it was infinite then there would be an infinite amount of stars so the sky would be white all the time, so it's finite.

no because the light from distant stars havnt reached us yet.. I think

BunnyKillBot · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:45

Don't know, don't care. What possible use could this information be to you? Question is a waste of your brain power.

yhack · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:46

salami1212 said:
no because the light from distant stars havnt reached us yet.. I think

But if it was infinite then the stars would have always been there, so the light would have got to us by now.

doofer · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:47

Depends on the Weather.

mattjd · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:49

BunnyKillBot said:
Don't know, don't care. What possible use could this information be to you? Question is a waste of your brain power.

This tbh. I mean we haven't even got a human onto Mars yet... Yet alone our Solar System or Milky Way.

Ace Modder · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:50

If the universe was a weird paradox which looped on itself - would that be classed of infinite or finite - the space has a max dimensional size to it if you start measuring at from one end of the loop to the other - but then you could travel infinitely in a single line???

Cosimo · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:51

doofer said:
Depends on the Weather.

Aye, depends on which way the wind is blowing.

Deiwos · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:57

Personally, I think our Universe will collide with another one eventually. Either that or it'll be like in Futurama where if you go to the edge you'll see another one

Snakedoctor · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:59

This Universe is probably finite but the multiverse is possible infinite.

salami1212 · 22 Feb 2011 at 17:59

yhack said:
But if it was infinite then the stars would have always been there, so the light would have got to us by now.

No, we can only see stars born from 13 billion light years away. Everything over that is obviously unknown territory but it is still in the universe as the universe is everything.

In fact scientists think there is roughly one star born every year and one star dieing every year so really the sky should look something like static on a tv in that case..

May I ask are you atheist? Agnostic? Or religious?