The big bang and before.

[The Andy-Man]

Can someone please give me a brief and simple (as far as possible) explanation of the ideas behind the big bang, how elements and atoms came into being, and what scientists think there was thewre before.

Also, i'd like to here a little about the idea that in a vacuum, electrons jump in and out of existence every now and then - though i am not surte weather this happens or not.


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[SlowwHand]

Excellent question, Andy.

Scientists can't explain wher original matter came from.
Here, they'll sputter something, that's crap.

[Edan]

From what I know, Scientists have no idea of what was around before the big bang (from what I remember, they can only have data to reconstruct what the univere was like miliseconds after the big bang), although amoung the descriptions I've heard are that all the matter in the universe was compressed into the space the size of a pin head. I've heard speculation that time (or indeed, many of the rules of physics that we know and love) might not have existed back then (or existed in a different form). Also, since the universe may revert back into that state if and when there is a big crunch (when all matter gets compressed back together), there's the possibility that there was a whole other (or series of other) universes before ours. But, again, that's just speculation.

[The Andy-Man]

well, i just want an overview, or description of some sort, of what is thought to have caused the big bang, what theb iog bang was, and what might have been there before etc.

[Soul Survivor]

there is no 'before' the big bang, the big bang created time

another idea that i find troublesome, there had to be a tiny imbalance between matter and anti-matter like a trillion and one to a trillion

in the beginning, there was only one force, but as the universe expanded and cooling down it broke up into 3 forces, and then subatomic particles were formed as a result of the strong force, then matter from the electroweak force and then stars, galaxies because of gravity

the electrons thing is quantum mechanics which so far is pretty seperate from the whole big bang theory, which AFAIK is based on relativity and other subsequent theories

[The Andy-Man]

so if the big bang created time, where did 'space' come from the let the big bang happen in? and if there is littterally nothing, what could cause such a thing?

[Boris Godunov]

Ah yes someone said it.

"Before" does not apply. Sans Big Bang, no time, so no "before" possible.

As for the origins of matter, there are many theories, but they lie in a realm of astrophysics waaaaay beyond my ability to grasp right now. You can probably find different theories on the web pretty easily.

Sloww, just because you're intellectually incapable of understanding theories doesn't make them invalid. I'd love to see you try and explain quantum mechanics.

[SlowwHand]

What created the big bang ?
The forces?

Scientists.

[The Andy-Man]

maybe our perception of time is wrong?

Also, i'd like to here, briefly, the most common thories on where matter came from.....

[Solver]

Read books by Stephen Hawking. They may require a higher-than-average intelligence at times, but are well worth it.

And yes, no before the Big Bang, because time only started to exist after it.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by The Andy-Man
so if the big bang created time, where did 'space' come from the let the big bang happen in? and if there is littterally nothing, what could cause such a thing?

The big bang created space as well. Time is a function of space, so without space, there is no time.

Space is a product of the bang. Think of the universe as the inside of a balloon. Totally deflated, the balloon has no interior space. But when inflated, the balloon's space expands exponentially.

Think of the Big Bang as the "air" filling the balloon with space.

[SlowwHand]

I don't believe in time either.
Time. That's a concept for the convenience of man, and that's all.

[The Andy-Man]

but, to be difficult, was there anything that existed before time? and what, specificly, is time then?

also, if i am to go into a study of physics, quantum physics and astro physics for this point, how much actualy physics do i need to know?

[Soul Survivor]

more explanation to that previous post.

According to current theory, nothing that happened 'before' the big bang (if such a thing did exist) would have no impact on what happened after the big bang, because there was no causality, no laws of physics. The universe was infinitely small and infinitely dense, all matter, energy, dimensions, everything, was wrapped up in a singularity. There was no space, no time, nothing but this singularity, the big bang started everything.

Because of the big bang the universe started expanding and cooling, for the first few moments there was nothing we could recognize, still no matter, energy or even gravity etc. As the universe expanded the different forces we know seperated creating subatomic particles, it is believed that there was a slight imbalance between matter and anti-matter, after all if there wasn't an imbalance we wouldn't be here discussing it - after all a universe which doesn't create beings to observe it doesn't exist.

thats a basic summary, and done from memory, so don't kill me if it isn't 100% accurate

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
I don't believe in time either.
Time. That's a concept for the convenience of man, and that's all.

And you insist there must be a "creation" of the Big Bang, when "creation" implies a temporal relationship of cause and effect, something that can't exist without time...