THE UNIVERSE

The maximum diameter of the universe

       This article is an addendum to my paper, The Mathematical Impossibility Of The Theory Of Evolution
In this exercise, I will calculate the maximum diameter of the universe based upon assumptions which are accepted by those who hold to the 'big bang' theory. The big bang theory has significant problems, not the least of which is the claim that stars were formed when vast quantities of mostly hydrogen gas are compressed under the influence of gravity to the point where the gas became liquid, then under further pressure, self-ignites and becames a star.
Unfortunately for the theory, gas heats up when it comes under pressure and expands unless constrained in a container. The force from pressure is far greater than the force of gravity. Consider this exercise. You stand on an object of great mass. The earth has a mass of six million, million, million tons, so that will do. You replace the air in a sealed container with hydrogen. Even though the hydrogen gas is influenced by the pull of six million, million, million tons of earth, it does not sink to the bottom of the container and turn into a liquid, or even come close. You take the lid off the container and the air which is heavier than hydrogen, rushes in and the hydrogen moves rapidly toward the upper atmosphere, expanding as it does so.
One proposal put forward to overcome this problem suggests that large clouds of gas were surrounded by several stars which exploded simultaneously, thereby giving the gas the compression required, but this idea has obvious problems.
I don't believe in the big bang theory, however, the Bible clearly states in several places that God streatched out the heavens (Isaiah 44:24, 45:12, 51:13, Jeremiah 10:12, 51:15). We see clear evidence of that stretching via the red shift effect observed in distant stars. This is another case of statements in the Bible being confirmed in recent times by science.
The 'big bang' model of the universe will serve as a good tool to calculate the maximum possible diameter of the universe.

According to Einstein's theory of relativity, matter can not travel faster than the speed of light. Those who hold to the big bang theory believe the 'big bang' occurred around thirteen to sixteen billion years ago. I will use the upper figure of 16 billion years.

The speed of light is 299,792.458 kilometres per second.
A 'light year' is a unit of distance. It is the distance that light travels in one year.
One year is 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds = 365.242199 days = 31,556,926 seconds.
Distance light travels in one year i.e. one light year = 299,792.458 x 31,556,926 seconds = 9,460,528,412,464.108 kilometres.
We will round that figure to 946.052x10^10 kilometres.
NB: 10^3 = ten to the power of three i.e. 10x10x10 = 1,000. So 10^10 = 1 followed by ten zeroes.

Distance light travels in sixteen billion years =
946.052x10^10 k. per year x 16 billion (16 x 10 ^9) years =
151.368 x 10^21 kilometres.
That's approximately 151 followed by twenty-one zeroes for centre to the edge of the universe.
Diameter of the universe (maximum possible in 16 billion years) = 302.736 x 10^21 kilometres.

Diameter of the universe (approximate).
Diameter in kilometres = 302.736 x 10^21 kilometres or
302,736,000,000,000,000,000,000 kilometres.
Diameter in metres = 302.736 x 10^21^24 metres.
Diameter in millimetres = 302.736 x 10^27 millimetres.
Diameter in microns = 302.736 x 10^30 microns.

One micron as a fraction of our 'big bang' model universe is one over 302 followed by thirty zeroes.
(1/302000000000000000000000000000000).

Number of trials
As noted earlier, if we go through trials at the rate of one billion per second, with 5x10^77 groups simultaneously going through the trials at this phenomenal rate, and keep up this effort for three hundred billion years, we will accomplish a very large number of trials. Five followed by one hundred and five zeroes.
However, the task ahead is quite simply enormous. If the whole task is represented as a line across our 'big bang' model universe so that after the completed 788x10^372 trials, we come to the end of the universe long line, then measure along the line the fraction of the whole we have completed after 300 billion years (fraction is 1/10^267), we discover that we have moved less than the width of an atom along our universe long line!

One micron as fraction of universe 1/3 x 10^32
Fraction of task completed 1/10^267
Fraction of micron (our represented length of progress) is greater than 1/10^234, (I'm being generous with the maths here in favour of the evolutionist) that's one over one, followed by 234 zeroes. That's obviously much smaller than the width of an atom.

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David Holden

Aletheia Publishing
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www.defenceofthefaith.org