Big Crunch Theory

views updated

Big Crunch Theory


The Big Crunch Theory is made possible by Big Bang cosmology, which states that all matter in the universe is now racing away from all other matter. If there is enough matter in the universe to create a gravitational force sufficient to bring this movement to a halt and to reverse its direction, then at some point in the remote future all matter in the universe will converge into an infinitely dense point in space, resembling a massive black hole. The end of the universe would then resemble its beginninga singularity at which the laws of physics as we know them no longer apply. Such a universe is called a closed universe.

See also Big Bang Theory; Closed Universe; Cosmology, Physical Aspects; Singularity

mark worthing

More From encyclopedia.com