To Infinity And Beyond Research Paper

To Infinity and Beyond?

Libby A Lorenz

Woodhaven High School

Author’s Note Libby Lorenz, AP Physics 1, Woodhaven High School Any questions, comments or concerns regarding the review should be directed towards the following e-mail address. Contact: [e-mail]

Libby Lorenz

Mr. Scheffler

AP Physics

2 June 2017

To Infinity and Beyond? There are vast amounts of theories about how far the universe expands.Some believe that the observable universe is the only one that exists, however many ponder on the idea of an infinite universe. The shape of the universe has also been brought to light in many scientific studies. The concept of how substantial space is can be difficult to grasp, but diving deeper into theories

(Pandian 2015) “Technically, "universe" constitutes everything that exists, while "observable universe" constitutes everything that exists within our horizon (that is, the volume of the universe within which light has had time to reach us).” Some view the observable world as a flat surface, Scientist Joseph Silk, in a May 2001 interview, says “The expanding Universe theory says that the Universe could expand forever [that corresponds to a 'flat' Universe]. And that is probably the model of the Universe that we feel closest to now.” Studies have also been done researching a flat universe, such as WMAP. The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, operating from 2001-2010, measured temperature differences across the cosmic microwave background. The CMB can help distinguish the shape of the universe. Since low temperature correlates with high density, scientists can define a parameter omega as (actual density of the universe) / (critical density).

Omega less than one corresponds to a universe that is opened up , omega equal to one would be a universe that is flat, and if omega is greater than one scientists conclude that the universe is closed. (Image 1) These images depict the curvature of the earth based off of the omega value scientists acquire. Although most data points to a flat universe, scientists studying at the University of Wisconsin-Madison say “Just because we say the universe is flat does not mean we know what its destiny is” This seems to contradict the formula used above, and researchers cannot be certain on the geometry of the universe just yet. Scientists to this day are still baffled by the perplexing question of what shape the universe is.

Another complex issue that scientists face everyday is if the universe is infinite. Infinity is defined as limitless or endless in space, extent, or size; impossible to measure or calculate. The only part of the universe that the studies are able to classify is the observable universe. This part of the universe is a portion that can be observed from earth at this time with the