The Big Rip

WolfWithoutAClause writes "It's been known for decades that the universe is expanding. The current evidence points to this rate of expansion increasing, and if so, there's no obvious reason why the expansion rate couldn't continue to increase ever faster. A physicist, Simon Caldwell, has taken this to inevitable conclusion and suggested the expansion will eventually reach a point where the expansion rate is so high that any surviving people will ripped apart, followed a millisecond later by the destruction of all the atoms in the universe. Ouch. New Scientist says we may only have 22 billion years left. Almost enough time for a quick game of Everquest then."

Comments

And then the lawsuit will come...

[phamlen]

Hmmm... if I read this correctly, the universe will be "ripping" all the digital media in existence in about 22 billion years.

Sounds like it could be the target for a RIAA/DCMA lawsuit! "Your honor, we would like to sue the universe for clearly premeditated copyright violation."

Re:Don't Panic!

[WolfWithoutAClause]

so I take it like all such with a grain of salt.

Yes, a large one; and getting larger all the time ;-)

Hmm...

[Anonymous Coward]

I wonder if people will be hunting the "last post" before Slashdot servers get ripped apart.

My Results

[scotay]

the expansion will eventually reach a point where the expansion rate is so high that any surviving people will ripped apart, followed a millisecond later by the destruction of all the atoms in the universe.

My experiments in expansion have proven that somewhere around a 44-46 waist the expansion rate is so high, you better start looking for a big-and-tall men's shop or any surviving jeans will be ripped apart, followed a millisecond later by the purchasing of sweatpants.

Don't let this happen to your universe.

Re:Don't Panic!

[looseBits]

Yes, but it's depressing though. No matter how the universe ends, it will kill us all (let's pretend that the human race- in some form- will be around for billions of years despite President Bush). The idea of the universe expanding forever (if it has escape velocity) or actually accelerating is quite depressing (the former leads to all the stars running out of hydrogen and helium). I always liked the idea of a big crunch and this will all start again someday in some form. Now, you start to get into the ideas about fractal universes being created by different outcomes when a wave function is collapsed (in some universes, Schrodinger's cat is alive, although in my expeirment, I killed it :) but unless we can interact with these realities, it seems just academic.

I know this is a redundent post as infinite other versions of me have already posted this on infinite other /. sites.

The Joy of Extrapolation

[You're All Wrong]

"A physicist, Simon Caldwell, has taken this to inevitable conclusion and suggested the expansion will eventually reach a point where the expansion rate is so high that any surviving people will ripped apart"

What did Master Caldwell think when he first started getting his first erection?

Sorry for being crude,
YAW.