Everything about The Big Freeze totally explained
The
Big Freeze (also
Big Chill) is a scenario in which the
universe becomes too cold to sustain life due to continued expansion and the decay of
free energy due to the action of
entropy.
The Big Freeze is a theory of a possible
fate of the universe. The Big Freeze could occur if the universe's
geometry is either
flat or
hyperbolic, as either of those would mean that the
universe would
expand indefinitely eventually reaching
absolute zero (−273.15
°C or −459.67
°F, also defined as 0
K or 0
°R).
Geometry
For the
universe to expand indefinitely, the shape of the universe as a whole needs to be flat or hyperbolic; this requirement stems from the
density of the universe in those particular geometric shapes. There are three likely possibilities for the universe's shape.
Possible Universe Geometries
Density
For the Big Freeze theory to happen, the
shape of the Universe must be either hyperbolic or flat. If it's hyperbolic, which is usually pictured as a saddle shape, then the density must be lower than the critical density (which is approximately three hydrogen atoms per cubic meter), which means that the
universe isn't massive enough to collapse under
gravity. If our Universe is flat, then the density will be exactly at the critical point, preventing the universe from collapsing as well. If the universe is more massive than the critical point, it'll result in a shrinking universe, which leads to another theory, called the
Big Crunch. For the Big Crunch to occur, the shape of the Universe would have to be spherical. The problem with measuring the current density of our Universe is that we can't see most of the matter in it, and it's theorized that most of the universe may be made up of
dark matter, a hypothetical, invisible form of matter in space.
Expansion
Expansion of the
Universe is the entire basis of the Big Freeze theory. If the shape of the Universe is hyperbolic, then the Universe will reach a fixed expansion rate and expand forever, which means that the universe will never really "die". If the universe is flat, then the Universe will continue to expand until it reaches an expansion rate of zero; a Universe in this scenario would never "die" either.
Problems
The Law of
conservation of energy states that energy can't be created nor destroyed. Therefore, kinetic energy of particles (thermal energy) can't reach absolute zero. Also, Newton's first law states that objects in motion stay in motion unless acted upon by a force. Therefore, particles would continue to move through the Universe, still possessing kinetic energy (thermal energy), unless they
decay.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Big Freeze'.
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