big bang theory

[sacha.86]

WWhat caused the position to take place?

[sacha.86]

What caused the explosion to take place

[Old_Geezer]

I'd have to look it up but as I understand it the nearest understanding we have is that it is a consequence of the uncertainty principle, whereby if you know one quantity the other is unknown; and in this case can cause an eplosion.

Now you need to ask why there is the ability for an uncertainty principle to exist.

[sacha.86]

Yes my next question would be along them lines

[sacha.86]

can u elaborate on the uncertainty principle?

[Old_Geezer]

Not unless you have a working knowledge regarding quantum theory. But in a nutshell, as I posted, there are some pairs of measurelements that are tied together in that the more accurately you know one the less accurately you know the other. It indicates that our common sense view of the world isn't exactly right, but near enough to live by.

http://www.google.co....Principle+for+dummies

[sacha.86]

do you believe in god?

[Old_Geezer]

That's a diifferent question. Define God.

[R1Geezer]

This regukarly comes up. You have to abandon all thoughts of pre, before, cause etc as time was also created in the BB so there is no before.

[sacha.86]

A supreme being the ultimate creator to which ate mind would never be able to comprehend with

[sacha.86]

*are

[Old_Geezer]

So for you the definition is an all-powerful sentient being of some sort. I've believed different things at various times of my life, rarely dismissing the possibility altogether. At present I think the evidence of a sentient being is lacking, but absence of evidence is not the same as evidence of absence. But you'd be better off posting that sort of discussion in "Body & Soul" rather than "Science".

[Old_Geezer]

"our"

[sacha.86]

Yh ment our. I want to post something on a website and needed the science version to compare it to. I was just asking you if you believed in god because you seemed to think I was a dummy or at least it was the first word that sprung to mind

[Old_Geezer]

Oh. Well I don't see the connection, but best of luck with your comparison anyway.

[Renaissanceman]

The word 'explosion' is one I would avoid for the Big Bang. It was a sudden coming into existence of all matter/energy (same thing, according to Einstein's theory of relativity: E=mc2) and space-time itself. This is very different to a chemical explosion. This 'hot space' then rapidly expanded, and is still doing so.

Ask 100 scientists what caused the Big Bang and you'll get many different answers. The most frequent one is 'we don't yet know'. Many of the current possible theories are fiendishly difficult for non-mathematical thinkers to understand, and most are not (yet) testable, so making them philosophical and not scientific. Reading up on quantum theory would be the starting point to understanding these.

So there is still room for a religious view fitting in with our current scientific knowledge - God triggered it. However, the concept of 'God' and arguments for the existence of something beyond the physical world seem to have changed continuously to keep up with our expanding knowledge, so it might as well be replaced with "stuff we can't yet explain".

[jomifl]

Basically nobody knows where the big bang came from, if it came from anywhere. Just as nobody knows where god(if he exists) came from. As there is a lack of evidence of the existence of god it has been very difficult to measure him or do any experiments to ascertain his age. If we could ascertain his age we could work out which came first,god or the big bang. wouldn't that be interesting! As it is we have to assume god doesn't exist as he doesn't interact with the world we know(and can measure).

[MarkRae]

There are three possible answers:

1) There was no big bang - the opening verses of the Old Testament are the truth.

2) God caused it.

3) It is as stated in Hawking's "A Brief History of Time", by far the most accessible layman's guide to the subject.

[MarkRae]

There you go...