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  1. #1
    MadMojoMonkey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    so i hear that there is no edge to the universe and that physicists don't know if it's finite or infinite.
    The collective IDK is the important thing to take from this.

    If there is an edge, it has not yet been detected.

    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    doesn't the universe not having an edge mean it's infinite?
    Not necessarily. NG and ong both make interesting points.

    The surface of a sphere has no edges, but is a finite area. Same for a torus.

    Fractals are mathematical objects with interesting properties. They can have an infinite perimeter enclosing a finite surface area.

    An "infinitely bumpy" surface may have infinite area, yet enclose a finite volume.

    All of this is easily extrapolated into higher dimensions mathematically. The fact that all my examples are about area, and not volume is intentional. It's hard (impossible?) to visualize a volume as the infinite bound of a finite 4-dimensional object. Still, there is no reason that is not a valid description of the universe.

    Valid doesn't mean correct, merely possible given our current understanding.
  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by MadMojoMonkey View Post
    The surface of a sphere has no edges, but is a finite area. Same for a torus.
    Bolded goes along my stoned line of thinking.
    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    ongies gonna ong

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