The Big Bang Theory (Part III) The End of it All Mike Stuckey Warren East High School

Now Let’s Destroy The Universe !!

The End of the Universe There are three possible futures for our universe. Which one will be our fate depends on the total mass of the universe or more accurately, its density.

The End of the Universe It was Albert Einstein who calculated a critical density for the universe. This value is about 5 x kg/m 3. The fate of the universe depends on whether or not the density is above or below this value.

The End of the Universe IF the density of the universe is less than the critical value of 5 x kg/m 3 The gravitational pull of the universe will not be enough to stop the expansion of the universe. The universe will expand forever. The overall temperature of the universe will decrease The stars will all eventually burn out and no new stars will form. Protons will eventually begin to decay. This is when the matter era will end and the universe will become just a soup of quarks and other subatomic particles.

The End of the Universe IF the density of the universe is equal to the critical value of 5 x kg/m 3 The gravitational pull of the universe will ultimately stop the expansion of the universe. An equilibrium will be reached and the universe will last forever at the same size. This may or may not occur during the matter era, but once the universe stops expanding stars will continue to be formed, galaxies will continue to collide and protons will eventually decay.

The End of the Universe The density of the universe is greater than the critical value of 5 x kg/m 3 The gravitational pull of the universe will ultimately stop the expansion and cause the universe to collapse. The universe will return to one point and time. Will the universe begin again ????

The End of the Universe Currently scientists have determined the density of the universe to be less than 5 x kg/m 3. If this is true the universe will expand forever. BRRRRRRRRR !!!!!!!! However the discovery of dark matter could change the ultimate fate of the universe.

The End of the Universe In 2008 astronomers used powerful telescopes to look at the remains of stars after they went supernova. They we trying to determine how much the expansion of the universe was slowing down. What they discovered was unexpected to say the least.

The End of the Universe The astronomers found that the expansion of the universe was …. SPEEDING UP!!!!!!!!!!! The astronomers thought they had made a mistake, but repeated experiments have supported their conclusions.

The End of the Universe Astronomers believe that a mysterious energy or force that repels objects called DARK ENERGY is responsible for this. More experiments and better theories are need to figure this out. Stay tuned.