Shape of the Universe

What is the shape of the universe? Would it be a sphere using the big bang theory? Or would i be an exact shape like a cube? What are some idea that have been thrown out on the subject? Could it be that the universe is a shape that we have not concieved????

Some sources says the Universe has a "Donut Shape..." or "Torus shape"

I thought that ''Donut Shape'' universe was just in the Simpsons all the more funny now. They had Stephen Hawkings in that episode and he said he found Homers ideal of a Donut Shape universe intriguing, adding that he might have to steal that theory

Man I love that show

How would such a shape exist? ( The donut one) that is too wierd because then there would be nothingness inside of the universe not to mention that would change the aspect of the universe from being something whole, to something more containted or more flat.

We will never know the size or extent of the universe until we learn to ditch the concept of Linear Mathematics. There is a reason you can't solve Pi you know...

Wait whats the reason that we can't solve Pi. I never really thought too much into it, I always thought that it was one of those reapeating numbers and stuff. I am not too good at Math to begin with anways lol.

The Universe is Flat. No the Universe is round.
Sound familiar?
www.firstscience.com...

Somethings I guess we need to set sail for just to see what we can see.

For the same reason you can't fit a square peg into a round hole, in the simplest terms. Linear mathematics is something we created, not something the universe adheres to. Our need to measure and quantify things has blinded us to the real story here IMO. I am no mathematician, but if you could develop a mathematical formula to express everything in terms of infinity, singularity, and the 'here and now' view of time space, you could probably be the next nobel winner.

here some links, which attempt to describe the shape of the universe...

'Topology of the Universe'
astro.uchicago.edu...

www.ams.org...

www.sccs.swarthmore.edu...

fusionanomaly.net...

In theory if you looked at the universe from outside it (in the multiverse) it would be a 3d oval, an infinite space within a finite object.

Wha :| If something has boundaries how can it be infinate...:| The only possibility is that the boundaries are never fixed and can grow....:| still wouldnt this mean that the universe has no shape, but mearly moves to accomidate the expansion.

Perhaps the universe is a fluid, exponetionally growing "entity", spirling through itself .... oh say..... on a path similar to a Helix.

Its not really understood how an infinite space can exist within a finite object.

Maybe one day we will know what the shape of the universe. But personally I think there is no shape, I think we are asking the wrong question! more reasearch is needed me thinks.

sphere sounds right. could you count it as more of a hollow sphere, if after a while many of the black holes in the center of the universe collide and merge?

Torus is correct, in the sense an apple is a torus approaching a sphere. Imagine the field around a bar magnet revealed by iron filings in oil or on a sheet of paper. That kind of torus; its is the gravitoelectromagnetic field of a massive black hole.

According to National Geographic, a new study has been conducted that may hint that the universe is shaped like a dodecahedron, or a soccer ball.

I love this article, the concept is pretty mind blowing in my opinion. However this isn't concrete but take note of this quote because its a chance to prove the theory. Anyone got any more information on WMAP?

"Can this proposal be confirmed? Yes indeed," Ellis wrote, noting that future observations from WMAP's successor, a European satellite to be launched in 2007 even more accurate than its NASA counterpart, will provide key observations on cosmic background radiation that could confirm or disprove Weeks' theory.

news.nationalgeographic.com...

Why do we try to look for a shape to the universe ? It seems that we need answers for everything....If something is infinate shouldnt it not have a shape, but mearly occupy everything.....

Unless what we are doing is lookin at the universe the completely wrong way..

How do we define the end of the universe? First we must do that before determining the shape of the universe

Originally posted by Linux
According to National Geographic, a new study has been conducted that may hint that the universe is shaped like a dodecahedron, or a soccer ball.

Yup - I've heard the theory aswell and I was about to offer it again...although I've also heard various ideas also about spheres and whatnot..

Personally, I'd like to think that the universe is actually infinite. This is for two reasons. The first is that I believe it has no beginning or end - this would require either a "multiverse" idea or the idea of 110% energy efficiency...(how was all that energy created from nothing?). The next is that it may be finite on the first "3 dimensions" but I think it proven mathematically somewhere that there are 11 dimensions. Now, upon hearing this I thought to myself that's impossible...and I disagree that it has been mathematically proven (although I haven't seen the equations myself) but I think there is more to this life than the four dimensions we can measure.