Why the Universe is Flat I The Great Courses

http://www.thegreatcourses.com/inexpl...

In this video lecture, Neil deGrasse Tyson, America's most noted astrophysicist, discusses how the shape of the universe allows us to bypass questions about the "original source of energy that begat the universe."

This is an excerpt of The Inexplicable Universe: Unsolved Mysteries, a series of online courses presented by Dr. Tyson in Hayden Planetarium, American Museum of Natural History.

If you add together the three kinds of things that occupy the universe, the familiar matter, the dark matter, and the dark energy, each creates a curvature of the fabric of space and time, just as prescribed by Einstein's general theory of relativity. If you add those curvatures together, they create a universe that is perfectly flat. The universe is not saddle shaped, having net positive energy, nor spherical, having net negative energy. The entire universe, being flat, has zero net total energy.
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The universe is an incredible place. And this is your chance to explore it, one-on-one, with Neil deGrasse Tyson, America's most renowned science educator.

The Inexplicable Universe: Unsolved Mysteries, taught by professor Neil deGrasse Tyson, is available from The Great Courses. Order now: http://www.thegreatcourses.com/inexpl...

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[Polochinto]

Can you please explain why the clock slows in higher gravity?

[TheCreativemind40]

//the moon is moving away due to gravity. . . he doesnt have to account for the moons behaviour to get 0.. because the universe as a whole is equal to 0.//

I think you should watch that video of Neil on the orbit of the moon around the earth. Neil is right for in order to get 0 for his flat universe even the orbits of the moon in respect to earth and the earth in respect to the sun is also 0. Which means all the sum total of all energy produce is 0. Even on that plane alone :) :) :)

[TheCreativemind40]

The reasoning of Neil is quite clear to me the reason why the moon do not shoot up and forever moving on the earth orbit is because of the flat surface where he got 0 out of it. Thats fine then but how can one account the moving away of the moon? This has dire consequence for a flat universe for if its flat as Neil concluded and everything is 0 then everything stands still as it is so I question how can you get 0 at all when the moon is moving away from us?

[Jonathan ivgi]

the moon is moving away due to gravity. . . he doesnt have to account for the moons behaviour to get 0.. because the universe as a whole is equal to 0.

secondly think of it this way.. When you try to make a hill from a flat piece of land,you do 2 things.. you make a hill, but also make a hole

That analogy describes the Universe.. when the universe came into being.. the energy needed positive and negative came into being. adding both positive and negative together = 0 total energy.

[Jonathan ivgi]

0 is 0.. because its a number. Nothing.. as you would define it would be the Empty space between the stars yes?

if the answer is yes.. that Nothing as you define it IS the empty space between the stars. . then you must re define the word nothing..

Lawrence Krauss has done amazing works to prove that the universe is indeed flat. these works are relatively recent. also he has shown that empty space (nothing) is infact NOT EMPTY :)

[TheCreativemind40]

I know you will say that. "Nothing is not NOTHING" then 0 is not 0 at all isnt it? :) :) :). I dont want to play word games to you coz your science needs it to justify their lack of explanation to the things they do not understand. Coz the more I look at it, it is not even proof to begin with. Only philosophical opinions that your worldview has to hold :) :) :)

[TheCreativemind40]

I dont know why not watch the video dafuq is you might be commenting out of ignorance. I agree with Tyson on each point except the "flatness" of the universe. In order to answer my point you have to account on why the moon is going away from us. Neil explanation is clear to me on this but he has to account for the moons behaviour in orderr to get 0 :) :) :)

[Jonathan ivgi]

also. Nothing.. as you say. is NOT nothing.. Empty space itself is unstable.. giving birth if you will to subatomic particles.. given enough time. on a quantum level empty space(nothing) itself has no choice but to make something.