Heat Death of the Universe: Is It Inevitable?

[Nugso]

Hello. I a few hours ago opened a new thread called "Big Crunch". But now that I've learn that it's not really possible for Big Crunch to happen, I also look for another possibilities. It looks like the best theory is Heat Death. It says that all stars will be dead the temperature will be the same within the universe. Does that mean the universe will still exist but without living beings? The universe will still exist albeit frozen? Or will it shrink and get smaller?

 

[Naty1]

But now that I've learn that it's not really possible for Big Crunch to happen

who said that??

It looks like the best theory is Heat Death.

It's just another possibility.

Does that mean the universe will still exist but without living beings? The universe will still exist albeit frozen? Or will it shrink and get smaller?

I already answered this in the other thread...in addition, it is a state of maximum entropy. So not even information can be processed.

 

[Nugso]

who said that??

It's just another possibility.
I already answered this in the other thread...in addition, it is a state of maximum entropy. So not even information can be processed.

http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=63 I interpreted it as that.

What exactly did you mean by"... cold, dark and empty." Will it shrink until it becomes as how it was before the Big Bang? Or since the all matter, dark matter and dark energy are gone, it'll remain as how it is?(Bigger universe than the current one, but empty?)

 

[Naty1]

from the other discussion:

Up until the later 1990's, it was assumed that attractive gravity was slowing down the rate of expansion and that eventually it would either reach a steady state and just go on at a constant rate forever, or much more likely would reverse direction and [oops, should be 'or' contract in a Big Crunch.

So in terms already posted, our best measures show the value of Ω [omega] close to 1, very close to a flat universe. If it stays that way, expansion continues and the universe remains about flat and eventually becomes cold, dark and empty.

Expansion means cooling, contraction means heating...

 

[Nugso]

from the other discussion:






Expansion means cooling, contraction means heating...

Oh, I beg your pardon for overlooking your post. ( I blame it on my English though). Thanks. By the way, sorry for being off-topic but is " The Last Three Minutes" by Paul Davies any good?

 

[Naty1]

Oh, I beg your pardon for overlooking your post.

You are not alone. Happens all the time here. That's why I replied as I did earlier.

Its always a good idea to read replies carefully.

 

[Viracocha]

Heat death is when the universe reaches a state of max entropy, so that no energy is usable, it's just all basically heat energy. But by then the universe will have expanded to the point that energy will be extremely thinly spread.

All in all, theories concerning the end of the universe are largely speculation (which is why we have like 5 major one) until we have a comprehensive theory of Quantum Gravity (or theory of everything)