The Big Bang Theory of the Origin of the Universe

INTRODUCTION

Since the beginning of time, people have wondered about why we are here, how we got here, and where we came from. Although many of these questions have not been answered, the question of where the universe we see today came from has been answered, or at least answered as well as possible with the technology available. Currently the leading theory for the origin of the universe is the Big Bang theory. Although some scientists still dispute this model for the development of the universe, the vast majority of scientists accept it as truth. The Big Bang theory cannot be proven, but it is the theory that is most consistent with the facts we have today about our universe.

HISTORY

Although Georges Lemaitre (pictured in Figure 1) first proposed the Big Bang theory itself in the 1920’s (“Origins of the Universe”), people have debated over the creation of the universe since Aristotle was alive. Aristotle argued that the universe had an infinite past, which concerned Jewish and Islamic philosophers because this didn’t fit with their belief in creationism. Many philosophers after Aristotle began forming arguments to support a universe with a finite past in response to his philosophy. In 1225, Robert Grosseteste became the first person to try to describe the universe using one set of physical laws in his paper “De Luce” (Lewis). Almost four-hundred years later, Johannes Kepler formed a new argument for a finite universe, using the dark night sky as proof. Soon after, Newton first came up with the idea of large-scale motion existing in the universe (Wolff).

In the early 1900’s Vesto Slipher and Carl Wirtz both separately observed spiral galaxies moving away from Earth. Although they didn’t realize the implications, now thi...

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Figure 7. Wright, Ned. Las Campanas Redshift Survey. Digital image. Talk Origins. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2014. .

Figure 8. NASA. Digital image. Talk Origin. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2014. .

Figure 9. First Law of Thermodynamics. Digital image. Tutors Globe. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2014. .

Figure 10. Second Law of Thermodynamics. Digital image. Wikispaces. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2014. .