Is all matter in the universe relatively expanding?

I have a theory that if the universe is expanding, so is everything else. That means our bodies are expanding at the same relative rate as the universe is. Let's say that we can live up to 1 billion years old. At 1 years old, we would be the size of an atom, comparing relatively to the universe. At 1/2 billion years old (50 equivalent years), we would be as big as a galaxy, but would seem like we were the same size since everything else expands as well. If this theory is true, we are infinitely growing in an infinitely space capacity at an infinitely time rate capacity.

If we're expanding at the same rate as everything else, we wouldn't be able to tell, right? In other words if your idea is correct then it couldn't ever be observed?

reply to post by jim_w

Correct. We would never be able to see this physically unless we had some type of barrier that would stop the growth of matter. If we did have this technology and depending on the growth rate of the universe, the matter would rapidly shrink before our eyes.

So, assuming you don't have one of these devices, how did you come up with this idea?

reply to post by jim_w

Well knowingly that this universe is infinitely expanding, how are we still connected? Is there a limit in the amount of space the universe occupies? If there was, it would explain our perception of the universe's expansion rate. We look at the universe as growing extremely fast. However, since the universe is already billions upon billions times bigger than us, our relative growing size compared to the universe is so small that it makes it look like we are not growing at all and the universe growing ever so fast.

DONT PANIC

Just re-member that your standing on a planet that's evolving,
and revolving at nine hundred miles an hour...
That's orbiting at ninety miles a second, so it's reckoned,
the sun that is the source of all our power.
The sun and you and me, and all the stars that we can see,
are moving at a million miles a day.
in an outer spiral-arm at forty thousand miles an hour
of the galaxy we call the Milky Way.

Our galaxy itself contains a hundred billion stars,
it's a hundred thousand lightyears side to side.
It bulges in the middle, sixteen thousand lightyears thick,
but out by us it's just three thousand lightyears wide.
We're thirty thousand lightyears from galactic central point,
we go 'round every two hundred million years.
And our galaxy is only one of millions of billions,
in this amazing and expanding universe.

The universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding,
in all of the directions it can whiz.
As fast as it can go, that's the speed of light you know;
twelve million miles a minute, that's the fastest speed there is.
So remember when your feeling very small and insecure,
how amazingly unlikely is your birth,
and pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space,
'cause there's bugger-all down here on earth!

Originally posted by Chorlton
DONT PANIC

Just re-member that your standing on a planet that's evolving,
and revolving at nine hundred miles an hour...

Oh, "well done", Chorlton ! Now I'll have Eric Idle's voice in my head for the rest of the day !

Regards
yf

Hmm... at first I was like "Hey I never thought of that, maybe..." but doesn't it have to work both ways.

In other words, you say that we wouldn't be able to tell if we are expanding because we are expanding at the same rate, but wouldn't that mean that we wouldn't be able to tell if the universe was expanding? If we are expanding with it, then we wouldn't be able to see it expand away from us... Hope that makes sense, I always get in a loop when I get philosophical.

I think you misunderstand what "universal expansion" means.

Distant galaxies have been observed moving away from us. If all matter was expanding at the same rate, they would appear stationary.

reply to post by evanmontegarde

True, but the huge size of "space" in the universe makes our perception of the view of the universe to look like it is moving away from us. The universe is expanding at a very fast rate compared to the matter's expansion. I hope this helps.

As long as everything is expanding equally, it's the same as if we weren't expanding at all from our frame of reference. The only way to tell would be from a "perfect" frame of reference outside of our universe. And even then, who's to say that it's not shrinking and we're staying the same?