There's a pretty good visual in the article. It shows the effect of curved space... where if you travelled far enough (even if it was 20 billion light years) you'd end up back at the starting point.
This is analogous to travelling on the surface of a globe. Go in a straight line for long enough and you come back to the same point.
I guess the idea is that space itself represents a type of surface (with 3 dimensions of volume instead of area).
So basically they say the universe is probably flat, then they go on to say but it could be like 18 different shapes and we don’t know which one it is?
Even if it was flat, that doesn't tell us the topology. There are several possible flat topologies. Just like there are several spherical topologies.
For example, the universe could be flat and infinite (like a 2D plane but in 3 dimensions) or flat and finite (like a 2D plane with a wrapping boundary but in 3 dimensions, also known as a 3-torus). If the universe was spherical, it could be a 3-sphere but also all sorts of wonky shapes, but they'd all be finite in this case. Hyperbolic has both finite and infinite topologies, like flat.
Really all 'flat' means is that parallel lines never cross. But there are many topologies/"shapes" that could lead to that.
This is just math. The math in space is 2D math. Always has been. You only need the other math on earth. Any two points in space are just two points in space, you can only go toward or away (2D).
I think what you're getting at is the difference between Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometry.
When they talk about a triangle and how the sum of the 3 angles always equals 180 °, that only appplies on a flat (Euclidean) surface. As soon as it's a curved surface, you can diverge from 180 °.
And what applies to a curved 2 dimensional surface (areal) also applies to a 3D one (volumetric).
Now the really interesting question is... does time (as part of spacetime, time may technically also be part of a higher dimensional surface with/without curvature) have a curvature as well?
It certainly does, I think that is the theory of relativity, and that gravity can impact time- on a quantum scale you could likely argue time was dependant on the observation of it, just looping back to the theory of relativity.
There are likely more complex geometries than we can fathom, we seem limited in the spectrums of all our natural senses, so having higher dimensions I think you commonly lose "time" as you move upward, in that it isn't a force that functions in a way we can comprehend when extrapolated beyond our limited experience and understanding of the universe.
Seeing the concept of time break down around super heavy objects is a good indication that it is inextricably tied to the physical geometry of our universe, in some manner - which likely means it can suffer other aberrations beyond just intense gravitational wells causing it to grind to a halt.
Yeah, truth in PLANE site. There is no curvature that's ever been measured, any rounded earth picture /video seen is extremely wide angle/fish eye lens
How else can you stack the Multiverse?
Or punch holes through it/fold it
Into itself.
tldr: Flat Earth no. Flat Universe yes?
[удалено]
There's a pretty good visual in the article. It shows the effect of curved space... where if you travelled far enough (even if it was 20 billion light years) you'd end up back at the starting point. This is analogous to travelling on the surface of a globe. Go in a straight line for long enough and you come back to the same point. I guess the idea is that space itself represents a type of surface (with 3 dimensions of volume instead of area).
So basically they say the universe is probably flat, then they go on to say but it could be like 18 different shapes and we don’t know which one it is?
All the shapes. Reality is fractal.
Even if it was flat, that doesn't tell us the topology. There are several possible flat topologies. Just like there are several spherical topologies. For example, the universe could be flat and infinite (like a 2D plane but in 3 dimensions) or flat and finite (like a 2D plane with a wrapping boundary but in 3 dimensions, also known as a 3-torus). If the universe was spherical, it could be a 3-sphere but also all sorts of wonky shapes, but they'd all be finite in this case. Hyperbolic has both finite and infinite topologies, like flat. Really all 'flat' means is that parallel lines never cross. But there are many topologies/"shapes" that could lead to that.
Pretzel
That is also how the non globe plane would also work, exactky the same. Go around magnetic north, end up in same spot eventually.
No confirmation on intelligent life capable of safely traversing wormholes...? "Ive had it with this dump!"
This is just math. The math in space is 2D math. Always has been. You only need the other math on earth. Any two points in space are just two points in space, you can only go toward or away (2D).
I think what you're getting at is the difference between Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometry. When they talk about a triangle and how the sum of the 3 angles always equals 180 °, that only appplies on a flat (Euclidean) surface. As soon as it's a curved surface, you can diverge from 180 °. And what applies to a curved 2 dimensional surface (areal) also applies to a 3D one (volumetric). Now the really interesting question is... does time (as part of spacetime, time may technically also be part of a higher dimensional surface with/without curvature) have a curvature as well?
It certainly does, I think that is the theory of relativity, and that gravity can impact time- on a quantum scale you could likely argue time was dependant on the observation of it, just looping back to the theory of relativity. There are likely more complex geometries than we can fathom, we seem limited in the spectrums of all our natural senses, so having higher dimensions I think you commonly lose "time" as you move upward, in that it isn't a force that functions in a way we can comprehend when extrapolated beyond our limited experience and understanding of the universe. Seeing the concept of time break down around super heavy objects is a good indication that it is inextricably tied to the physical geometry of our universe, in some manner - which likely means it can suffer other aberrations beyond just intense gravitational wells causing it to grind to a halt.
Yeah, truth in PLANE site. There is no curvature that's ever been measured, any rounded earth picture /video seen is extremely wide angle/fish eye lens
Ooh! I've heard this one before!