The Universe as we know it...
The Universe as we know it...
Isaac Newton
‘s idea of gravity was that all things with mass are attracted to each-other and he called this theory ‘universal gravitation.‘ His theory is effective for describing the way gravity effects most things; for example, how the Earth orbits the Sun or why an apple falls from a tree.
For about 200 years Newton’s universal law of gravitation was the reigning theory on gravity and his three universal laws of motion form the foundation for classical mechanics. However, Newton’s universal law of gravitation is no longer a clear representation of what we understand the actual mechanism of gravity to be.
To understand gravity in its entirety, you need to understand Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Surprisingly Newton’s theory is the one still taught in many high schools and colleges today even though it is not the most correct. Its application to classical mechanics is sufficient for building a house or designing a ski jump but if you are trying to understand how you are connected to the universe as a whole Newton’s theory of universal gravitation does not give you the complete picture…
To understand gravity in its entirety, you need to understand Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Surprisingly Newton’s theory is the one still taught in many highschools and colleges even today though it is not the most correct. Its application to classical mechanics is sufficient for building a house or designing a ski jump but if you are trying to understand how you are connected to the universe as a whole Newton’s theory of universal gravitation does not give you the complete picture…
Space is NOT EMPTY
Space is NOT EMPTY
You see…Isaac Newton’s vision of the space around all things was that of EMPTY space. For many people who still view gravity in a Newtonian way this is how they still envision space: EMPTY.
However, Einstein’s general theory of relativity teaches us that space is NOT REALLY EMPTY AT ALL. Einstein showed us that space is like a three-dimensional fabric which curves in the presence of mass and energy and that is what gravity is.
You see…Isaac Newton’s vision of the space around all things was that of EMPTY space. For many people who still view gravity in a Newtonian way this is how they still envision space: EMPTY.
However, Einstein’s general theory of relativity teaches us that space is NOT REALLY EMPTY AT ALL. Einstein showed us that space is like a three-dimensional fabric which curves in the presence of mass and energy and that is what gravity is.
The realization that space is not empty reinforces and makes perceptible the concept that we are all connected. It was, however, not the only powerful discovery about the nature of space that scientists had in the 20th century…
The Universe is Expanding
The Universe is Expanding
In 1929 when American astronomer Edwin Hubble published his paper, “A Relation between Distance and Radial Velocity among Extra-Galactic Nebulae,” what they had in reality perceived was the fact that the universe itself was expanding. This concept was different than anything thought at the time. In 1931 after Hubble was able to confirm that the universe was indeed expanding, Albert Einstein removed the cosmological constant from his field equations of general relativity calling them his ‘greatest blunder.‘ (Originally Einstein had added the cosmological constant to his field equations to counterbalance the effect of gravity and achieve a static universe in the equations.)
The Expansion of the Universe is ACCELERATING
The Expansion of the Universe is ACCELERATING
However, in an ironic twist of fate in 1998 with the discovery that the expansion of the universe is accelerating the cosmological constant (λ) was added back into the current standard model of cosmology (λCDM model) as the best possible explanation for ‘dark energy‘!
What IS dark energy?
What IS dark energy?
INFORMED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THE UNIVERSE IS EXPANDING AT AN ACCELERATED RATE MODERN SCIENTISTS HAVE HAD TO POSTULATE WHY THIS IS HAPPENING?
Dark energy is the current theory to explain this behavior as the equations of general relativity don’t match the behavior of the universe without its addition. The nature of dark energy (and/or dark matter) remains to a great degree a mystery as less is actually known about dark energy than what is known.
If you take all of the detectable matter in the universe and measure how much gravity it accounts for it is only 4.9% of the known gravity we can measure. That leaves approximately 95% of the gravitational energy in the universe unexplained/unaccounted for.
Currently scientists divide up this unexplained gravitational energy or ‘dark energy‘ into two categories. An undetectable halo like cloud around galaxies is suspected to account for about 26.8% of dark energy while 68.3% is thought to be a mysterious kind of energy that expands space and pushes matter apart (causing the universe to expand at an accelerated rate).
Currently scientists divide up this unexplained gravitational energy or ‘dark energy‘ into two categories. An undetectable halo like cloud around galaxies is suspected to account for about 26.8% of dark energy while 68.3% is thought to be a mysterious kind of energy that expands space and pushes matter apart (causing the universe to expand at an accelerated rate).
When General relativity meets quantum physics...
When General relativity meets quantum physics...
General Relativity is hugely successful in understanding real world outcomes from the big bang theory to black holes.
Quantum Physics is what it takes to understand the behavior of our world at the tiny subatomic scales. The equations of quantum mechanics have been very auspicious in explaining real world outcomes from nuclear reactions to particle colliders.
HOWEVER these two vitally important mathematical systems in physics; general relativity and quantum theory are COMPLETELY INCOMPATIBLE.
General Relativity is hugely successful in understanding real world outcomes from the big bang theory to black holes.
Quantum Physics is what it takes to understand the behavior of our world at the tiny subatomic scales. The equations of quantum mechanics have been very auspicious in explaining real world outcomes from nuclear reactions to particle colliders.
HOWEVER these two vitally important mathematical systems in physics; general relativity and quantum theory are COMPLETELY INCOMPATIBLE.
SO WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE US?
SO WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE US?
When the laws of general relativity are applied at the quantum level the results are nOnSenSIcAl. Similarly, quantum mechanics becomes extremely problematic when theoretically implemented in C O S M I C DIMENSIONS. According to the article Relativity versus quantum mechanics: the battle for the universe in the guardian.com, “if quantum mechanics were applied to fields large enough, the amount of energy in the quantum fields becomes so great that it creates a black hole that causes the universe to fold in on itself.”
Explaining how general relativity and quantum physics actually exist together in our reality remains to be one of the biggest challenges for those in the field of theoretical physics. String theory is probably the most well-known of the theories attempting to unify relativity and quantum mechanics.
String theory postulates that there is an unseen realm filled with tiny vibrating two dimensional rings and strings of pure energy that vibrate at wavelengths far smaller than those measurable with our physical instruments. Within this theory everything in the universe arises from this two-dimensional sea of infinitesimally small vibrating rings and strings. This vibrating field forms all matter, all measurable energy, all gravity and even space itself. According to the mathematics of string theory if there was no two-dimensional sea of energy to sustain our three-dimensional physical universe we would cease to exist.
String theory postulates that there is an unseen realm filled with tiny vibrating two dimensional rings and strings of pure energy that vibrate at wavelengths far smaller than those measurable with our physical instruments. Within this theory everything in the universe arises from this two dimensional sea of infinitesimally small vibrating rings and strings. This vibrating field forms all matter, all measurable energy, all gravity and even space itself. According to the mathematics of string theory if there was no two-dimensional sea of energy to sustain our three-dimensional physical universe we would cease to exist. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Almost all of the theories that try to mediate these two fundamental areas of physics suggest in different ways that the universe is SUFFUSED with INVISIBLE ENERGIES that significantly influence THE WAY IT FUNCTIONS.
Fabric of the Cosmos (Part 4 of 4):
Universe or Multiverse? with Brian Greene
SCIENCE, PHYSICS AND ASTROLOGY– How REALITY REALLY is, Where Science and the Esoteric Meet: Quantum Mechanics, The Universe as we know it… , The Quantum Energy Field, Randomness vs. Order , Reasons why Astrology should be given Serious Consideration, Astrology Knocks at the Academy of Sciences’ Door, Astrology’s Avant-Garde Researchers: The Gauquelins
Resources:
https://einstein.stanford.edu/content/relativity/a11758.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applications_of_quantum_mechanics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_energy
https://futurism.com/david-bohm-and-the-holographic-universe
https://nasa.gov/content/discoveries-highlights-shining-a-light-on-dark-matter
https://physics.aps.org/articles/v12/105
https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-dark-energy
https://swarajyamag.com/books/the-veda-of-physics-reconciling-the-observer-and-the-observed
https://www.livescience.com/64527-edwin-hubble-universe-expanding.html
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/series/the-fabric-of-the-cosmos/episodes
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2015/nov/04/relativity-quantum-mechanics-universe-physicists
Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds. (Documentary Film 2h 2mins) 19 December 2012. Written and Directed by Daniel Schmidt. (for a full list of cast & crew: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2415372/ )
Quantum Biology: The Hidden Nature of Nature. (Documentary 1h 33mins) 17 September 2015. By World Science Festival ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADiql3FG5is )
Selbie, Joseph. (2017) The Physics of God: Unifying Quantum Physics, Consciousness, M-Theory, Heaven, Neuroscience and Transcendence (2017) Tantor Audio.
Toback, David. Big Bang, Black Holes, No Math. Iowa: Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2013.