Are we massive or miniscule?: Philosophy Forums

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Are we massive or miniscule?

DumbassDan
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Posted 10/11/09 - 08:27 AM: Subject: Are we massive or miniscule?	#1
Nearly everyone eventually comes to the realization that our universe is absolutely massive, if not, infinite in size. These people then begin to question how small and insignificant they really are. They begin to ask questions such as "Is our universe infinite?" or "Are there universes beyond ours?" I believe MOST people, however, never begin to question how massive we are. This brings about questions such as "Can matter be infinitely divided into two?" or "Are there universes within ours?" I have always wondered, if we were to be placed on a scale of size relative to our universe, where would we lie? Are we within the last one percent of the scale, nearing the massive side of the scale? Or are we within the first one percent of the scale, nearing the miniscule side? Or the exact middle? What do you think? Do you believe the universe to be infinte? If not, what is beyond that? And just as importantly, does the universe get inifinitely small as we analyze it from a subatomic (and below) view? Currently, I believe that all these theories mentioned are equally as possible. I know it is not the most profound thread, and I'm sure nearly everyone on these forums have come to these realizations. As you can probably tell, I am quite the noob but I like to think I'm smarter than I sound I would love to hear everyone's opinions on this subject even if they are STRICTLY opinion. Although, any scientific proof about the size of our universe would be great too.
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” -Dr. Seuss

jsidelko
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1 of 1 people found this post helpful Posted 10/11/09 - 09:09 AM:	#2
We lie midway between the multiverse and strings.
thanatos

DumbassDan
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Posted 10/11/09 - 10:32 AM:	#3
jsidelko wrote: We lie midway between the multiverse and strings. strings?
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” -Dr. Seuss

jorndoe
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1 of 1 people found this post helpful Posted 10/11/09 - 03:37 PM:	#4
"Strings" as in superstring theory, is my guess. Must-see flash application: • universcale Couple diagrams: • mass versus radius (source) • universal scale (source) An oldie but goodie, as a browser based java application: • powers of 10 Online adaptation from Greene's "The Elegant Universe" (string theory): • a sense of scale google is your friend: • orders of magnitude - distance • the powers of 10 (no java required here) • powers of 10 (this one at CERN) • how big are things? Edited by jorndoe on 10/11/09 - 05:06 PM. Reason: google is your friend
People are to themselves what they think; people are to others what they do. ∞ ∑ 1/i² = π²/6 i=1

swstephe
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Posted 10/11/09 - 07:08 PM:	#5
I believe the "orders of magnitude" is between the largest known star and the smallest atomic particle puts us in the middle. The OP is talking about a potentially infinite universe, which would include the spaces between the stars and out beyond the relativistic limits of an expanding universe. So, infinitely big means we are an infinitesimal quantity.
Ethics is the measuring of morality. Morality is the measuring of good. Good is the measuring of benefit. Benefit is the measure of values.

wuliheron
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1 of 1 people found this post helpful Posted 10/12/09 - 02:37 AM:	#6
The visible universe is roughly 13.5 billion years old or 1.3 x 10^26m, however no one really knows how much bigger it might be. Some estimates put it at 10^110 times larger and, of course, some say it is infinite or nearly so. Astonomers have been building the largest telescope ever in antarctica, hundreds of miles across, using neutrino detectors. Theoretically it should be capable of seeing back in time to before visible light first appeared in the universe, almost back to the big bang, and give us a better answer. In contrast, quantum theory places a firm limit on how small anything can be and still be considered to exist in our universe (ie- to interact with things in our universe) at around 10^-33m. So we could be right in the middle, not too big and not too small, or we could be infintesimal. Relatively speaking, there is more space between the atoms of your body than there is between the stars in our galaxy. The ort cloud of comets surrounding the solar system reaches roughly a third of the way to the nearest star, alpha centuri. To paraphrase Gary Zuckov, if a baseball were the size of the earth its atoms would the size of grapes. If an atom were the size of a 14 story building, its electrons would be about the size of dust particles and its nucleus would be about the size of a grain of salt. And those only take us down to about 10^-18m, or about the same as the distinct number of ways you can scamble a rubic's cube.

BenderTheMagnificent
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Posted 10/13/09 - 02:02 PM:	#7
We are both massive and miniscule.

CalicoCat
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Posted 10/19/09 - 10:39 PM:	#8
It seems to me that something that goes on forever and never stops (infinite) is just as physically impossible as something that is nothing (zero). I think that the infinite and zero are concepts of the mind only and that in physical reality they do not exist. In physical reality something that is either infinite or nothingness is no longer a physical thing. It is something completely different from physical. But I don't know what that is. The infinite is life/God/creative force and zero is death/destruction. The yin vs yang. Our hopes vs fears. But physical reality? I don't know about that.

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