Centreverse Theory

[CableLight]

Tell me what you guys think...

It seems like a fairly common notion towards the idea of the size of the universe being infinite, if not growing in infiniteness (if such a concept is truly within our grasp).

Regardless, it begs the notion: If the universe is truly infinite, then this example applies: Imagine an arbitrary point in the universe - it can literally be anything. Now, imagine lines radiating out in every possible direction from this point.

Each line, technically, would ultimately have a length of infinity, seeing as how the universe is infinite and any non-terminating line would extend towards infinity. Simply put, as long as you denote "Each line goes until it reaches the end," each line would never actually encounter a boundary (since infinitly means no point of termination or a boundary).

Now, that point technically becomes the "centre" of the universe - seeing as how every possible direction beginning at this point and radiating from it would be equidistant in length (i.e. infinite). Therefore, that point becomes arbitrary, meaning that any given point in the universe contains no more and no less possible directions/lines of infinite length than any other.

If the idea of the universe truly being infinite holds up, then any point - no matter how big or how small - can technically and accurately be labled the "centre of the universe." It can be your dog, a tree, or even yourself.

So go ahead and tell your friends, "Guess what? I really am the centre of the universe." You'll be no more right and no more wrong than anyone else who makes the claim

 

[ohiofutballa]

Well at least now i can sleep easier, knowing that

 

[King of You]

hah thats true.

And to those people who thing that the universe is finite, how could it be? All of a sudden your flying through space, and bam you run into a wall or some sort of barrier? Whats on the other side of it?

 

[CableLight]

Precisely

I've tried to imagine the claim about the universe expanding, but then I think: "Wait, if something is already infinite, what does that make it when it expands? Where does it go?"

I can't say that its wrong, seeing as how something infinite is basically never-ending. So if something is never-ending, then I suppose it isn't a stretch to say it "just keeps going and growing."

Imagining it happen, like a visual picture, is rather...odd.

 

[Phoenix_of_the_ashes]

But wouldnt the universe, if being infinite, lose the ability to have a center since a center is always defined in terms of where the space or area terminates?

 

[CableLight]

I don't think so...

I guess I look at the center as the place where, any line radiating out from it will be equidistant to any other line. Imagine if you take a sphere - all the lines radiating out from its centre are equal. I'm not necessarily saying the universe is spherical, but just that the same general principal applies.

Thats why labeling something as the centre of it is arbitrary...it's technically correct, but then again anything else would be, too.

 

[Jariel]

If the universe is infinite then that means that everything conceivable and inconceivable and every possibilty must exist.

What's more, a sky full of infinite stars would be blinding white and infinitely hot so no solid matter could exist.

So I don't believe it's possible for the universe to be infinite. What lies at the "edge" is probably beyond our understanding, but it may just be an intense gravitational energy like that found in black holes.

I find Emanual Kant's theory interesting that says the universe is the space inside our minds. Afterall, everything we know about the universe is interpreted by our senses and we won't know what lies beyond the universe until someone places that knowledge inside our heads.

Deep eh?