Actually, in infinite set theory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_set there is a hierarchy of infinities. Think about the set of all integers {...,-1,0,1,2,3,...}: there are an infinite number of them. But the set of all real numbers (essentially "floating point" numbers of infinite precision for you programmers) must be larger than the set of integers since it includes the integers and more.
You are correct, though, that the expansion of the universe is one of the main reasons to infer a big bang. The other major piece of evidence is the microwave radiation (the Cosmic Microwave Background) left over from when the universe was a hot, opaque plasma shortly after the big bang.
In fact many people have proposed (and are still proposing) cosmologies in which time (or the universe) has no begining. Osicllatory Universe theories http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscillatory_universe, in which the Universe repeatedly expands and contracts, are one example. The consensus today, however, is that Big Bang theory has been much more sucessfull at predicting and explaining empirical observations than have any competing theories. This has nothing to do with a preference for a "begining" of time. In fact many scientists resisted Big Bang theory out of a discomfort at that very idea.
There are Oscialltory Universe-type theories with repetetive "Big Bang" events, avoiding the need for a begining of time, but the cosmological parameters favored today suggest that the Universe will expand indefinietly, and indeed that the expansion is accelerating, and therefore that the universe will never recollapse. See the Lambda CMD Model (cold dark matter with a cosmological constant) for more details http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambda_CDM_model.
I'm afraid you can't just "look towards the south west" anytime you want to see it. Three conditions have to be met for it to be visible. First, it has to be above the horizon. Second, it has to be out of the Earths shadow, lit up by the sun. Third, it needs to be dark on the ground where you are.
These conditions usually only coincide for a minute or two at most, hence the need for a sight to tell you when and where to look. The visual effect is a little dot of light moving briskly against the backdrop of stars, then snuffing out as it enters the Earth's shadow. If the dot isn't moving, it's not the right dot. I was lucky enough to see a shuttle in orbit near the ISS one night. Two little dots in a row!
I would have to agree. I did a small amount of Qbasic, but I got my real start in Java. I think beginers have no trouble grasping OO concepts, and indeed find them intuitive and usefull.
Slashdot Mirror
http://achewood.com/index.php?date=06062005
Actually, in infinite set theory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_set there is a hierarchy of infinities. Think about the set of all integers {...,-1,0,1,2,3,...}: there are an infinite number of them. But the set of all real numbers (essentially "floating point" numbers of infinite precision for you programmers) must be larger than the set of integers since it includes the integers and more.
You are correct, though, that the expansion of the universe is one of the main reasons to infer a big bang. The other major piece of evidence is the microwave radiation (the Cosmic Microwave Background) left over from when the universe was a hot, opaque plasma shortly after the big bang.
In fact many people have proposed (and are still proposing) cosmologies in which time (or the universe) has no begining. Osicllatory Universe theories http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscillatory_universe, in which the Universe repeatedly expands and contracts, are one example. The consensus today, however, is that Big Bang theory has been much more sucessfull at predicting and explaining empirical observations than have any competing theories. This has nothing to do with a preference for a "begining" of time. In fact many scientists resisted Big Bang theory out of a discomfort at that very idea.
There are Oscialltory Universe-type theories with repetetive "Big Bang" events, avoiding the need for a begining of time, but the cosmological parameters favored today suggest that the Universe will expand indefinietly, and indeed that the expansion is accelerating, and therefore that the universe will never recollapse. See the Lambda CMD Model (cold dark matter with a cosmological constant) for more details http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambda_CDM_model.
First, it has to be above the horizon.
Second, it has to be out of the Earths shadow, lit up by the sun.
Third, it needs to be dark on the ground where you are.
These conditions usually only coincide for a minute or two at most, hence the need for a sight to tell you when and where to look. The visual effect is a little dot of light moving briskly against the backdrop of stars, then snuffing out as it enters the Earth's shadow. If the dot isn't moving, it's not the right dot. I was lucky enough to see a shuttle in orbit near the ISS one night. Two little dots in a row!
I would have to agree. I did a small amount of Qbasic, but I got my real start in Java. I think beginers have no trouble grasping OO concepts, and indeed find them intuitive and usefull.