The
sixth chapter of The Matter Myth is
titled “…And the Last”. This chapter thoroughly examines the concept of the
Universe collapsing into itself due to the universal force of gravity. The build-up of uneven matter distribution since the creation of the Universe is
also discussed. Lastly, ripples of spacetime are described.
Gravity
is a force that acts on all objects. Certainly, the Universe as a whole is not
an exception to this. The Universe has avoided collapsing into itself so far
because of its initial expansion rate. However, it has been proven that the
Universe is expanding slower over time. This questions whether or not the
expansion will eventually halt and then become a contraction. Scientists
believe that gravity will one day cause the end of the Universe. This end
depicts the Universe ending like a reversed version of the big bang. Instead of
everything coming out of a single point, it will all become a singularity.
(above) This is a depiction of the big crunch
theory. The Universe is depicted to follow a cycle of expansion and
contraction.
At
the beginning of the Universe, matter may have been distributed very smoothly.
Regardless, small irregularities would have amplified over billions of years
due to the nature of gravity. When any area has more matter, its gravitation is
increased. This allows this concentrated area of matter to continually attract
more matter. Therefore, over time, dense areas of matter would cause an uneven
distribution of matter in the Universe.
Massive
amounts of matter are described to be capable of warping spacetime around it.
For example, the Sun is capable of this act. When the Sun moves, the spacetime
warp around it also moves. When two massive objects collide, their spacetime
warps disrupt each other and release gravitational wave ripples into their
surroundings.
Bibliography
Davies, Paul, and John Gribbin. The Matter Myth. New York: Orion Productions, 1992. Print
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