1000 Moments of Time

Author: Lin Weimin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: In 14 billion years ago, the universe was an eternal, continuous, and endless void, a desert of time and space. This desert is called "nothingness" in philosophy and "singularity" in physics. Suddenly one day, this "singularity" changed for some reason (perhaps only theologians can explain), no longer being a "singularity" but instead producing the structure of time and space. On this structure, the universe began to come into being. In every instant after the beginning of creation, unimaginable wonders were happening. Since the beginning of civilization, humans have been filled with curiosity and questions about themselves and their environment. Where did humans come from? What is the world we live in? Why does this world exist? When did it begin to exist? In 1917, Einstein realized that the general relativity he had established contained a conclusion: the universe is either expanding or contracting. This was a startling conclusion—the world we inhabit does not exist forever! So, let us embark on a long journey through time to trace the birth and growth of the universe! Since the beginning of civilization, humans have been filled with curiosity and questions about themselves and their environment. Where did humans come from? What is the world we live in? Why does this world exist? When did it begin to exist? In 1917, Einstein realized that the general relativity he had established contained a conclusion: the universe is either expanding or contracting. This was a startling conclusion—the world we inhabit does not exist forever! So, let us embark on a long journey through time to trace the birth and growth of the universe!