I have a quick question in regards to relativity.

 

Is the passing of time directly related to the expansion of the universe? If it is, doesn't that mean that when the universe passes the critical density point and begins to contract that time (being governed by the expansion of the universe) would also contract and begin to travel backwards? And that the big bang and the big crunch are the same moment just being perceived in 2 different directions of time?

 

I know I'm probably completely off the mark, but I'm very curious about this and was hoping some experts in the field could illuminate this concept for me?

If it is, doesn't that mean that when the universe passes the critical density point and begins to contract that time (being governed by the expansion of the universe) would also contract and begin to travel backwards?

 

Time is never flow backward.

Universe expansion gives some effect on our time flowing.

See this site #4

http://www.scienceforums.net/topic/53799-when-did-time-start/

I have a quick question in regards to relativity.

 

Is the passing of time directly related to the expansion of the universe? If it is, doesn't that mean that when the universe passes the critical density point and begins to contract that time (being governed by the expansion of the universe) would also contract and begin to travel backwards? And that the big bang and the big crunch are the same moment just being perceived in 2 different directions of time?

 

I know I'm probably completely off the mark, but I'm very curious about this and was hoping some experts in the field could illuminate this concept for me?

When we observe very distant objects the light reaching our instruments are very old, since it takes time for light to travel across vast lengths, as such we are observing objects as they were in the remote past and what happened back then. I am not aware of observations were the rate of time is different due to the age of the Universe when the light was emitted versus now when the light is recieved.

 

How would the Universe pass the critical density and begin to contract? AFAIK, the expansion of the Universe is accelerating.

 

There are theories of a previous Universe contracting in a Big Crunch before it became a Big Bang in ours:

 

The Big Bounce is a theorized scientific model related to the formation of the known Universe. It derives from the cyclic model or oscillatory universe interpretation of the Big Bang where the first cosmological event was the result of the collapse of a previous universe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bounce

Thanks, I think I understand. The Big Bounce model is basically what I was imagining, however I think my grasp on the concept of space time is a bit dubious.