The vacuum of space

I was thinking about the vacuum of space today. Why? I don't know my mind wanders a lot. Anyway, I was thinking about the vacuum of space and a thread I started a few days ago about our universe being round. I believe the universe can not be infinite if it is a near perfect vacuum. I explained it to my wife like this. Take a straw, put your finger over one end. Suck the air out of the other end. You just created a vacuum inside the straw. What does the straw do? It acts like a barrier. That being said, we know that space is a vacuum, apply the straw theory and it tells me that our universe must have a barrier of some kind. What do you all think?

So you're saying our universe is sealed off much like the vacuum in the straw?

I can agree that is a possibility but why couldn't it be round?

If it was created with a big bang, then I assume it all came from a central point and expanded outwards mostly equally in all directions, therefore it would probably be round'ish.

If it was created some other way and if its a vacuum wouldn't it still be round much like a bubble? idk

I think we only know a small fraction of a fraction about our universe.

If we are sealed in some how, one has to wonder whats on the outside.

Interesting idea none the less.

reply to post by WesternIowaParanormal


Pretty sweet concept you got there, and what a simple way of understanding it. Although, I don't think anybody ever said the universe was infinite. It's expanding, it's constantly getting bigger than it was before...is that what is meant by infinite?

In chemistry, I believe this is known as an isolated system, this barrier..Perhaps we are simply existing within an isolated system? That would indeed suggest there is more to it; something outside of it as you stated in your OP.

Thanks for giving me my deep thoughts to ponder for the evening

Well using the straw theory, in a true vacuum the straw would implode on itself.

So, I guess the better question would be why haven't we imploded.

reply to post by WesternIowaParanormal



It does it is called the Brane it is what separates our universe from other parallel universes. It is also fairly round and not infinite but extremely large

reply to post by WesternIowaParanormal

Umm, the barrier is in our minds, maybe?

I look at it like this. Imagine stretching your arm out forever. As long as it didn't collide with something, you could stretch it on and on without encountering a "barrier".

But say you did hit a wall of sorts.

What is outside that?

reply to post by WesternIowaParanormal


Isn't it a vacuum because of lack of matter over vast amounts of area?

Originally posted by Azdraik
Well using the straw theory, in a true vacuum the straw would implode on itself.

So, I guess the better question would be why haven't we imploded.

Why haven't we imploded... yet?

reply to post by WesternIowaParanormal


Universe would have to be round to allow for equal expansion, also if the universe is still expanding then the vacuum you are talking about would be held in the expansion 'bubble'.

I don't think the universe is a true vacuum as you suggest with the straw example.

It seems to me that the universe is just so vast, that it exhibits vacuum like properties simply because there is not enough matter to counter act those effects.

reply to post by WesternIowaParanormal

I was thinking about the vacuum of space today. Why? I don't know my mind wanders a lot. Anyway, I was thinking about the vacuum of space and a thread I started a few days ago about our universe being round. I believe the universe can not be infinite if it is a near perfect vacuum. I explained it to my wife like this. Take a straw, put your finger over one end. Suck the air out of the other end. You just created a vacuum inside the straw. What does the straw do? It acts like a barrier. That being said, we know that space is a vacuum, apply the straw theory and it tells me that our universe must have a barrier of some kind. What do you all think?

I see a BIG HOLE in your "theory"!

Our Universe isn't anywhere near a "perfect vacuum". There's still an AWFUL LOT of matter floating around "out there", and it's all in "pockets" that are continuously expanding.

I suspect our Universe is much more like an expanding froth of matter that keeps getting less dense because of that expansion.

I like "thinkers", so I gave you a star.

See ya,
Milt

Originally posted by WesternIowaParanormal
I was thinking about the vacuum of space today. Why? I don't know my mind wanders a lot. Anyway, I was thinking about the vacuum of space and a thread I started a few days ago about our universe being round. I believe the universe can not be infinite if it is a near perfect vacuum. I explained it to my wife like this. Take a straw, put your finger over one end. Suck the air out of the other end. You just created a vacuum inside the straw. What does the straw do? It acts like a barrier. That being said, we know that space is a vacuum, apply the straw theory and it tells me that our universe must have a barrier of some kind. What do you all think?

The straw is a barrier because there is air outside of it. There's no reason to think that there is air outside of the universe and that it must be shielded from it. The universe (or rather the multiverse) is infinite vacuum, with expanding "bubbles" of matter in it.

A straw won't react like that in space, it would not compress as its the pressure of the
atmosphere pressing down on the outer walls of the straw. A vacuum is the absence of matter but not entirely though (not going into that now).

It's only a vacuum if it has a higher density of matter around a lower density. So theoretically the "emptiness" of space can be infinite.

Originally posted by WesternIowaParanormal
Take a straw, put your finger over one end. Suck the air out of the other end. You just created a vacuum inside the straw.

That's more like a low pressure region than a vacuum. Even the best vacuum made on Earth is higher pressure than the moons "atmosphere", and the moons atmosphere is higher pressure than interstellar space. You could call it a relative vacuum I suppose.

But look at the obvious flaw in your idea. There's relative vacuum right outside the Earth, yet the Earth's atmosphere hasn't been sucked out into space, and there's no barrier like a straw holding it in.

Nobody knows if the universe is "flat" and infinite or possibly slightly curved and "finite", because we can only put limits on the flatness and haven't been able to measure the curvature, but that doesn't rule out a small curvature of the geometry of the universe. Sorry but your straw example doesn't answer the question, so still, nobody knows.

"Outside" our universe is a hard concept, as nothing exists outside of it.

It's literally the best definition of the word "Nothing"

There is no time, no space, no mater, absolutely nothing.

If you could some how make a space ship that is able to over take the expansion of our universe and some how "leave" it, the ship and you and everything in it, would cease to exist, because there is nothing outside of the universe that would allow you to exist.

We need a signal to get Phage in on topics like this.





Great question OP made my mind wonder.

The only reason there is a vacuum in space is because the subatomic particles are drawing the energy out of it and shifting the energy to another dimension. I have no clue what I am talking about but it sounds professional anyway

reply to post by boymonkey74


Alrighty !!

reply to post by WesternIowaParanormal


Isn't mass being generated in the universe like in the stars by fusion.
Stars increase in mass and weight and volume to red giants.
There has to be mass throughout space even if at low pressure or this vacuum.
So the universe could be a sphere at even growth but might increase without
a barrier even with a vacuum.

reply to post by WesternIowaParanormal


You certainly deserve a host of stars , after all the said 'Big Bang' is still only a theory and considering the size of our planet plus the size of planet inhabitants, even that which we call time is on a minute , unimportant scale to the outer universe. We and our professed scientists are all too small to ever discover and clearly explain the Universe. Perhaps such is the inner content of a Tevlevision Cathode Ray tube ???? Who lknows ???

Thinking - as you did - is Great, so keep it up.