So I came across this theory about why the universe is expanding and I wanted to run it by people to see what they think about it.

 

According the the Vacuum Bag Theory, our universe is expanding because there is a gargantuan sized white hole somewhere in space (or maybe there's a bunch of them). As we all know, white holes are just the opposite ends of a black hole. Now the black hole that is on the other end of the white hole has run out of matter to suck through and now there's nothing left to suck but the very fabric of space-time and that is why our universe is still expanding.

 

Just a theory, tell me what you think!

I think it's nonsensical woo which has no relationship to physical reality.

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Moderator Note

HerbertSu,

This really doesn't belong in book talk, so I'm moving it to Speculations. Please be aware that there is an additional set of rules for this forum, on top of the rules you should already be aware of.

Happy posting!

If this "white hole" is the opposite of a black hole, doesn't that mean it's just empty? You seem to suggest that we all know what a white hole is, but I don't. Never heard of it.

Well I'm pretty certain that you know what black holes are, you know those giant things that suck anything that comes nearby and nothing can escape it? Well a white hole is where the items that get sucked exit out. It's like a black hole is the mouth of a vacuum and the white hole is the part of the vacuum that deposits everything into a bag. What this theory is saying is that the vacuum bag is actually our universe.

Well I'm pretty certain that you know what black holes are, you know those giant things that suck anything that comes nearby and nothing can escape it? Well a white hole is where the items that get sucked exit out. It's like a black hole is the mouth of a vacuum and the white hole is the part of the vacuum that deposits everything into a bag. What this theory is saying is that the vacuum bag is actually our universe.

Forgive me if I still fail to understand it. But does your idea make any predictions we can test?

It's just a theory.

It's just a theory.

 

No, evolution is "just" a theory. General Relativity is "just" a theory. What you have is the basis for a hypothesis, assuming you can come up with some sort of predictions that aren't better explained by some existing theory or model, and a testing methodology for your predictions. Once it's grown up a little, it can be a theory. Maybe.

 

Though, frankly, I'm inclined more to the "woo" camp myself on this one.

Well I might have used the wrong word to describe it. Lets just call it a speculation, will that make it better for you?

Well I might have used the wrong word to describe it. Lets just call it a speculation, will that make it better for you?

 

It's certainly a better choice.

Wouldn't that mean that A.) black holes would constantly lose mass and B.) the amount of mass and energy in the universe should be increasing?

I don't think space-time is neither matter nor energy. What I'm basically trying to say is that the white hole is spewing out space-time from the black hole's side.

Then shouldn't black holes be sucking in space-time instead of matter thus negating the effects of the white hole?

 

[edit] if you meant the opposite of what this question responds to refer to this question cause I can't tell what you are saying:

 

shouldn't space expand in a manner consistent with visible black holes and push things out instead of pulling them in? [/edit]

Edited July 11, 201213 yr by Ringer

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "negating the effects of the white hole" but yes, I'm basically saying that a black hole is sucking in space-time. White holes are the things that push things out and black holes are the ones that pull stuff in. I'm saying that our universe is on the side of a white hole. We are expanding because space-time is coming out of that white hole. This space-time is coming from the white hole's other end, which is a black hole.

Well, there are quite a few black holes we know of, large and small, so wouldn't this white hole have to be ridiculously huge. That's what I mean by negating the white hole.