The Big Bang Theory
When we were first assigned this term paper in the very beginning of the course, I decided that I wanted to read a mathematical book outside of class upon which to base my term paper. Had I picked a topic such as the Pythagoreans or just a simple biography of a famous mathematician, I knew that I would not retain all of the knowledge that I researched. I decided that reading a book about something of particular interest to me would allow me to write this term paper, and for once in my life, I might actually enjoy doing it! When choosing the book I wanted to read, I looked through all of the choices we were given of books to read, and The Whole Shebang immediately caught my eye. The Big Bang Theory has always fascinated me. Late night after late night on the fifth floor of Truman State's Ryle Hall, a bunch of my friends and I gather in this one particular room as we talk about our days and basically whatever is on our minds while we "pig out" on food. Interestingly enough!, our topics always seem to change to God and Religion and even how the world was created. When I began reading this book I eagerly told all of my friends about it, which sparked new conversation amongst us. My dad is very in
The observations Ferris introduces provides compelling evidence towards the validity of the Big Bang Theory. With advancements in the field of theoretical physics, a highly mathematical field, a better insight into the beginning, or possibly the lack of a beginning of the universe will be obtained. Another vital mechanic of the Big Bang Theory that Ferris mentions is that the universe is expanding. Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, a mathematical gravitational model that indicates that space is curved, has made no predictions more shocking than that the universe is dynamic and expanding. Einstein did not like this idea and tried to get around it, but the mathematical evidence was too strong. Stephen Hawking, probably the single greatest thinker in history, said in his autobiography that "The more you begin to understand the mathematical implications behind General Relativity, the more you do not understand!" In a word, it is 'complicated.' This is probably why Ferris does not go in to the mathematics very in depth. He does say, however, that the mathematics used is a form of advanced Newtonian Calculus. In his book, The Whole Shebang, Ferris writes in a manner that is directed toward lay people. It is for this reason that the specifics of the mathematics used is not explicitly stated. However, Ferries does introduce the general ideas that mathematics dictates. The main pieces of evidence supporting the Big Bang Theory that Ferris discusses are the presence of cosmic microwave background radiation, redshifts in the spectral lines of stars, and appropriate chemical makeup of intergalactic clouds. I believe Timothy Ferris' book, The Whole Shebang, is an excellent resource in the basic knowledge of the Big Bang Theory. It is comparable to Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time in that it is within the grasp of lay people. Most notably, Ferris provides admirable background on the subject matter. I felt as though he covered a very large number of topics and looked at the theory from a number of different views. In the last chapter he discusses where God can be found in this model. He is a Christian, but he says that the Big Bang Theory introduces no evidence for the existence of God. Having already read A Brief History of Time, I found this discussion to be incomplete. Stephen Hawking, a devout agnostic, says that the Big Bang Theory does not contradict the belief in a creator. Hawki
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1638
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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