The Big Bang
A revelation from the mathematics of general relativity revealed that the universe can not be static. The universe either had to be expanding or shrinking. The idea of a non-static universe was too much for even Einstein to handle. He added a cosmological constant to his equations just to ensure that the universe stayed static. 12 years after Einstein’s mathematical formulation of general relativity, Edwin Hubble experimentally showed that the universe was expanding. Einstein went back and removed his cosmological constant from his equations and called it the biggest blunder of his life.
Since space is expanding, what would happen if time were to run in reverse? We would find that space was constantly condensing. As the universe compresses, it becomes hotter. If we run the clock back approximately 15 billion years, it would seem as though all the energy and matter in the universe, everything making up the cosmos, is condensed into a singularity. From this singularity, a rapid expansion of spacetime erupted. Originally the temperature of the universe was extremely hot. However, it is inaccurate to think of the big bang as an explosion. An explosion happens at a certain time and place. The big bang was a rapid expansion of
everything.
I do not intend to cover the evolution of the universe in this post, nor do I intend to defend this theory from its (mostly non-scientific) critics. It is important to understand that this theory is not some crazy old kook’s inane rambling. It is supported by a plethora of theoretical and experimental evidence. Most likely, this theory will not be replaced. New evidence may cause scientists to revise the theory of genesis, however most physicists believe that additional evidence will support, or help develop our understanding of the big bang, not overthrow it.
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