Introduction
A significant number of theories have been advanced to explain the origin of the universe. One such theory is the Big Bang, which postulates that the universe developed from unmatched cosmic cataclysm in history. Simply put, the universe developed from a natural and unavoidable catastrophe the interrupted the expected course of events. Cosmic cataclysm attributes the origin of the universe to a sudden and violent change in the surface of the earth. The theory operates based on reigning dogma that proposes matter to have been created from a magical concept called energy. The concept of on the origin of matter from energy is linked to the Big Bang Theory. According to the National Geographic (2015), the Big Bang occurred following the explosion of a hot and infinitely dense point that was only a few millimeters wide. The point is compared to a supercharged black hole. The cataclysmic event occurred over 13.7 billion years ago resulting to matter, energy, space, and time, the elements that define the universe.
The event was followed by radiation and matter eras, each defined by unique characteristics that contributed to the existence of the universe as it is in the present. The Big Bang Theory tries to explain what the discoveries in astronomy and physics have shown that the universe indeed had a beginning. The discourse that the theory advances is that prior to the Big Bang, there was nothing, but after, there was the universe. The national Geographic posited that the Big Bang theory attempts to explain what happened during and after the cataclysmic event. The other competing theories that are preconceived based on the discourse of a void are those proposed by Christianity and Islam. All the three are firm proponents of the creationist foundation that matter came into being from nothing. The trivial differences revolve around the invocation of the being, God, in traditional religions. The bible states that, “ in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void … ” (Genesis 1:1-2). This paper explores important aspects of the Big Bang Theory and competing theories in an attempt to understand their application in explaining the origin of the universe. Emphasis is also placed on the adaptations of the Big Bang Theory in explaining existential properties of other phenomena and discourses.
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Figure 1: A 2013 map of the background radiation left over from the Big Bang, taken by the ESA's Planck spacecraft, captured the oldest light in the universe (Howell, 2017).
The Dogma of the Magical Concept of Energy – Exploring the Religion of Mathematical Physics
Attempts to replicate the atomic model of the Big Bang have revealed why the theory remains the most popular in explaining the origin of the universe. Lasukov (2013) observed that atomic models have demonstrated significant similarities between the classical vacuum like medium in the form of a constant scalar field with potential energy with self-action to the casualty principle of cosmic cataclysm. The Big Bang theory is further corroborated by the revelations from scientific evaluations showing that other galaxies are moving away from the Milky Way at great speeds and in all directions, as if propelled some ancient explosive force. The strong scientific backing has elevated it as the standard model of modern cosmology. According to Kragh (2015), the name Big Bag has become one of the most successful scientific neologisms since its introduction in 1949 by Fred Hoyle. Consequently, Hogan (2013) referred to it as the truest cosmic evolution on the largest scales of space and time. Langmuir and Broecker (2012) contended that support of the theory scores 9.9 out of 10 on a reliability scale where zero represents idle speculation and 10 proven fact. The assertion reflects the strength of the theory hence the need for examination of critical aspects that can be drawn to inform other natural and man-made phenomena.
Prior to the Big Bang, scientists theorized that the universe’s matter and radiation was compressed into a hot dense mass just a few millimeters in diameter. The nearly incomprehensible state is thought to have existed for only a fraction of a second of time. The dense mass gave rise to the universe as it is known today. The universe expanded with incomprehensible speed in an extremely short time, a process that apparently continued albeit at a reduced rate. However, there is uncertainty about how the universe evolved after the Big Bang. The suggestion that has been put forward explains that time and cooling of matter led to the formation of diverse types of atoms that eventually condensed to form starts and the galaxies of the universe. Theory was first suggested in the 1920s by a Belgian priest Georges Lemaître. Georges Lemaître theorized that the universe originated from a single primordial atom. While the theory has been praised for its superiority in relation to factual evidence that exists, it has failed to address some pressing concerns. For instance, the cause of the Big Bang itself because none of the proposed answers have been scientifically proven. Investigation of the nearest galaxies to the Milky Way is thought to have advanced irreconcilable contradictions with the expanding universe theory (Arp et al. , 2013). The assertion points towards the Big Bang theory having its own fallibilities, most of which are associated to difficulties in proving some of the theorized concepts associated to events prior or after the cataclysm.
Figure 2: Graphic representation of the Big Bang explosion with the disc-shaped feature of the redshift (Powell-Morse, 2017).
Big Bang is an Event in the Past, Present, and Future of the Universe
One important observation that can be drawn from reviewing literature and scientific observation of the Big Bang Theory is that the outcomes of the cataclysmic event persist, defining different discourses of the universe. To an ordinary individual, the Big Bang may sound far-fetched, a bizarre concept whose occurrence can only be science fiction or a scene from the movies. However, Langmuir and Broecker (2012) observed that the concept has some kernel of truth in its impression. The observation can be attributed to the variables highlighted by Lasukov (2013) that define the dynamism and complexity of the factors that made the Big Bang a possibility. For instance, the universe includes hot spaces, very dense places, high gravity places, and events distant from space and time. Nevertheless, Hogan (2013) highlights a very critical point that the Big Bang is a reflection of the world’s past, present and future. The theory’s compelling achievement is in its connection of the familiar world to absolute extremities of the universe in which humanity is embedded. In most circumstances, individuals can relate to these extremities at personal level.
Hogan (2013) contended that inhabitants of the earth are aware of being part of the Big Bang. The fact that earth experiences light during the day and darkness at night is sufficient evidence that the universe is neither infinitely old nor large. What resulted post the Big Bang defines the events that are covered by the National Geographic (2015) in its explanation of the radiation and matter eras that followed the cataclysmic event. For instance, the burning of the sun is attributed to the abundance of the cosmic element, hydrogen, which releases energy upon conversion to helium in its center. The darkness in the sky at night is linked to the universe being young, a condition that limits the amount of space visible and the number of stars available to brighten the firmament. Since the universe is expanding, the light that is supposed to brighten the sky from the initial cataclysmic event has changed into cool microwaves. These waves cannot be seen by a naked eye, but in reality, the sky even at this time is glowing hot as if illuminated by leftover light from the first moments of creation.
Religions of Competing Theories
There are existing theories that advance the concept of the universe having been omnipresent. Such theories do not address the incomprehensible aspects of the origin of the universe that make the concepts on evolution of the universe from a void more compelling. In this respect, religious theories based on the bible can be argued to be the closest in terms of the Big Bang, and their recognition as competing is attributed to the trivial differences in explanation of the events after the void. Holder (2013) argued that religion presents the greatest area of ideological divide where the Big Bang theory is concerned. Nevertheless, theology and modern cosmology interact in a number of areas. The first relates to the possibility that the universe had a temporal origin, and the second is on the manner the Big Bang theory needs to be set up to give rise to life as per the laws of physics. Theology has its own explanation on the second issue that despite absence of scientific evidence corroborating it, has been widely accepted as the only credible alternatives to the Big Bang theory. The biblical version of the creationists gives credence to the ultimate being, God, who created the universe and gave life from void.
However, the theological version of the creationist theory has been questioned for lack of scientific evidence. As a result, some other theories have been advanced to cover against the backdrop, mainly to provide answers to “what if?” about the reality of the Big Bang Theory. Alternative theories to the Big Bang share in scientific assumptions made by the astronomers about the universe. Some of the critical assumptions include the constant and universal nature of the laws of physics that they do not change with time, location, or space; the homogenous state of the universe, which makes it roughly the same in all directions; and observation that humans cannot observe the universe from a privileged location. Tate (2014) observed that application of the assumptions to Einstein’s equations reveals the universe as having properties including:
Constant expansion as demonstrated by the observation of the distant regions shifting towards the red end of the spectrum due to expansion in the space between.
The emergence of the universe from a dense, hot, spot at some point in the past.
Helium and hydrogen, which comprise the lightest elements, were created during the first moments of time.
A background of microwave radiation fills the entire universe as a relic of the process of cooling that led to formation of atoms.
The scientific assumptions led to conceptualization of rival theories to the BIG Bang. One such early competing theory is the Steady State universe theory. In this rival theory, it is postulated that expansion of the universe resulted from continuous creation of matter throughout the universe. The strength of the steady state universe theory is in its assumption that a universe created via continuous expansion of matter would have no beginning or end, it would be infinite. However, Tate (2014) noted that voluminous scientific evidence accumulated since the mid-1960s revealed that the theory is incorrect.
The rival theories to the Big Bang are conceptualized on the events before or after the cosmic cataclysm. For instance, another competing theory, the Eternal Inflation theory, argues that inflation of the universe is an infinite process. The theory draws from the Big Bang, which contends that the event led to rapid expansion of the universe in a brief period called inflation. While the Big Bang posits that inflation was followed by cooling, the eternal inflation theory rejects this school of thought by suggesting that the process never stopped and has been ongoing infinitely. The theory contends further that the ongoing process of inflation is responsible for formation of new universes even at present through a vast complex process known as the multiverse. The different universes are thought to have different physical laws.
Another rival theory that draws from the concepts of the Big Bang is the Oscillating Universe theory that attributes the initial cyclic model of the universe to a series of endless big bangs. The processes were followed by big crunches that restarted the cycle endlessly. The oscillating universe theory attributes the modern cyclic model to colliding branes, which refers to a membrane within a higher dimensional volume called the bulk (Tate, 2014). Other rival theories to the Big Bag draws from implications of quantum gravity and string theory that suggest the universe to be different from what is known to human observers. Some theories have suggested that universe maybe a flat hologram projected onto the surface of a sphere. Others argue that it could be a digital simulation running in a vast computer. However, none of the competing theories has stood the test of times, hence, the Big Bang remains to be the most applicable theory generating a consensus among scientists.
Applications of the Big Bang Theory
Understanding the Big Bang theory from the scientific perspective presents significant challenges to laymen. The answers to the questions about incomprehensible aspects of the cosmic cataclysm remain elusive. Nevertheless, the Big Bang has found applications in the present universe that can employed to explain some of the complexities around the theory. The approach draws from Hogan (2013) observation of the Big Bang having a definitive role in the past, present, and future of the universe. Numerous attempts made to explain the origin of the universe from religious, philosophical, and scientific perspectives have some association to the Big Bang theory. However, application of the Big Bang is often misconstrued as a description of the origin of the universe. On the contrary, the theory tries to justify how elements of the universe as they are known in the present, developed from a very tiny, dense state. The theory does not attempt to explain what initiated the creation process, what existed prior to the Big Bang, or the outliers in the universe. For this reason, it has been adapted to explain dynamics in the working mechanisms of different world phenomena.
Powell-Morse (2017) noted that the Big Bang is colloquially used in software development, and the model has proven to be indispensable in the management of software development life cycle of a wide range of projects. The model draws from the cosmological theory and operates on the notion that from a void, rapid expansion and growth of code will emerge, producing a finished product in an instant. Drawing from the concepts of the atomic model in Lasukov (2013), it is evident that scientific application of the Big Bang is geared towards solving conventional problems. Jordehi (2014) highlighted the use of the Big Bang bi crunch (BBBC) algorithm that is perceived to be a novel gradient-free optimization algorithm. According to Jordehi (2014), the model is based on theories on evolution of the universe including the big bang and the big crunch.
The Big Bang-Big Crunch algorithm model has novel applications in fiber-optic communications. Its use in wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM), a technology that multiplexes a number of multiple optical carrier signals into a single optical fiber using different wavelengths of laser light. Bansal et al. (2013) established that the use of Big Bang–Big Crunch Optimization in WDM channel allocation potential outperforms the classical approaches including the “Extended Quadratic Congruence (EQC) and Search Algorithm (SA) and one of the existing soft computing approaches, the Genetic Algorithm (GA), in terms of total bandwidth” (80). Similarly, the Big Bang-Big Crunch algorithm model has been applied in optimization of power flows problems (Sakthivel et al. , 2013) such as in hybrid battery system (Ahmadi & Abdi, 2016), whose objective is to reduce the total cost of the system. The practical applications of the Big Bang theory demonstrate the possibility of creating a product from nothing if certain parameters are available. Therefore, the algorithm models assist in understanding of the theory and its justification as the true reflection of the evolution of the universe.
Conclusion
The Big Bang theory remains to be the strongest explanation of the evolution of the universe. Continuous astronomical studies seek to corroborate different aspects of the theory rather than discredit its significance. In the process, many competing theories have been proven to be founded on incorrect assumptions. The persisting rival theological creationist theory has some semblance with the Big Bang in that they both concede that the universe evolved from a void. The explanation of the events that led to existence of the universe as observed in the present that differentiates the two theories and renders other competing ones irrelevant. However, it is important to recognize the challenge associated with summing up the Big Bang theory, given that it involves concepts that contradict how humans perceived the world. For instance, it competes with the religious creation theory, which a significant proportion of the world believes to be true. On the other hand, attempts to understand the events post thee Big Bang have led generation of novel ideas, notably the Big Bang-Big Crunch algorithm that has found useful application in the scientific field. Practical application of thee theory continue to give support to the ideology that the post Big Bang events are ongoing, one of the assumptions of the theory associated with emergence of the universe.
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