What are some theories of the creation of the universe?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around various theories regarding the creation of the universe, with a focus on the Big Bang theory and its alternatives. Participants share insights and resources for further exploration of these concepts, including historical perspectives and modern interpretations.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks names of modern theories of the universe's creation for a research paper, specifically comparing two theories.
  • Another participant references a previous post about Paul Davies, suggesting it as a resource for the original poster.
  • Some participants argue that Wikipedia can be a useful starting point for research, especially for science topics.
  • A participant mentions the Hot Big Bang theory (HBBT) as the mainstream model, noting that while it asserts the universe began in a hot dense state, the specifics of how and why this occurred remain unknown.
  • There are various proposals regarding inflation, with differing theories on its occurrence and process, indicating a lack of consensus on this aspect.
  • Discussion includes historical theories such as the Steady State Universe and the Expanding Universe, highlighting the debate that existed before current data favored the expanding universe model.
  • Multiple participants express a need for more specific questions regarding theories of the universe to provide better assistance.
  • Two posts from a participant named Han-se Kim, a 9-year-old, request help with the Big Bang theory for a physics project, indicating a need for accessible information.
  • Links to external resources about the Big Bang theory are shared by participants, suggesting a collaborative effort to provide information.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the usefulness of Wikipedia for research, with some advocating for its use while others caution against it. There is no consensus on the best theories to compare, and the discussion remains open-ended regarding the specifics of universe creation theories.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the specifics of inflation and pre-inflation theories are not well understood, and there is a lack of evidence to decisively favor one theory over another. Historical debates are mentioned, but the context of those discussions is framed as settled in favor of the expanding universe based on newer data.

Da2Shae
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Hi, I'm new to this forum and I thought I'd ask for some help with my research paper.

Well I am a Senior in Highschool and I take IB (International Baccalaureate [Google it]) courses which are basically super advanced courses. Anyway, one of the requirements is that I write a 3,500-4,000 word essay of a topic of my choosing.

Well in my research paper, I wish to compare two theories of the universe in order to conclude which seems more plausible than the other.

What I'm asking from you guys are the names of a couple of modern theories of how the universe was created.

I also want to know where I can look for more information on these theories. (Links, books, articles etc...) *NO WIKIPEDIA*

So, can you guys help a kid out?

*Note: I know this belongs in the homework help section, but I didn't see a section there that didn't talk about the universe as much as this section did. :D
 
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Just fyi, you should be happy to make use of Wikipedia to start your research. They tend to have excellent introductions to a variety of topics, as well as many references for further reading (references that you can actually make use of).
 
I agree. Certainly for science topics, Wikipedia is a perfectly good platform to start your research. I think many of the perceived problems with it exist more in the politics and current affairs areas rather than the science pages, which tend to be pretty good (with some exceptions). Many professional scientists make use of Wikipedia all the time.

As to the question, you might want to be a little more specific. So, as far as mainstream science goes, the strong consensus model is the Hot Big Bang theory. There is no single alternative that is set against this, though there are a small number of other ideas around with only a few adherants.

However, the HBBT paradigm simply asserts that the Universe began in a hot dense state, exactly how that happened (or why it happened) is unknown. There are various proposals, the most plausible being inflation, however there are many different theories about how and why inflation occurred and exactly how it proceeded.

Moving beyond that, there is the question of what happened before inflation (which is obviously linked to the question of why inflation occurred). There are a number of different theories around, although there is precious little evidence available to decide between them. Some even argue that we will never be able to answer this kind of question.

So, I hope that helped, but as I say you will have to be more specific about what you mean by 'theory of the Universe'. From a historical perspective, you could talk about the "Steady State Universe" (the key person to look for there is Fred Hoyle, also Halton Arp although the former is (was) much more sane) as compared to the "Expanding Universe". I say historical because this debate is done and dusted now, but before we had the kind of data we have now was a very interesting and lively debate. If you chose those two ideas to write about you could talk about what made each one plausible at the time, and then explain what it was about newer data that came along that settled the argument in the favour of the expanding universe.
 
Project

Hi. My name is Han-se Kim. I'm 9 years old and I'm doing a physics project. It's about physics and I need help. I'm up to chapter 2- the big bang theory. I urgently need help. Can you help me my posting a document with some information of the big bang theory and attach it to your reply.

Can you help a kid?
 


hkim33 said:
Hi. My name is Han-se Kim. I'm 9 years old and I'm doing a physics project. It's about physics and I need help. I'm up to chapter 2- the big bang theory. I urgently need help. Can you help me my posting a document with some information of the big bang theory and attach it to your reply.

Can you help a kid?
This is my favorite article on the subject:
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/astronomy/bigbang.html

It's all about the evidence surrounding the big bang theory.
 
Thanks! That was a lot of help.
 
Another tutoria: http://cmb.physics.wisc.edu/tutorial/bigbang.html
 
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