- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
according to stephen hawkings book a brief history of time it states that there are 24 dimensions and when the big bang occured it created 3 physical dimensions and one time dimension. now the other dimensions are so tightly packed that nothing can physically detect them, we only know they are real through the theory of quantum meachanics and string theory. matter existed before the big bang but it was a colosal sphere of matter and time, matter so hugh we could not imagine, but smaller than the size of a atom, due to gravity, much like a black hole. This thing existed in nothing. and i mean nothing. you might thing there is nothing in space because it is a vacum but you would be wrong. weve now found that anti-particleas and dark matter exist which allows the universe to expand in to nothing. if you are religous this would make sence, if god created life as we know it, there must of been nothing before(like painting a picture, the canvas is blank, devoid of anything) and now that he/she/it has created life we are living and expandeing into nothing. scientists are now researching weather the universe will keep on expanding or will stop and retract causing a big crunch? its very very complicated and i only know the basics, i suggest you reads stephen hawkings books- a brief history of time..........the universe in a nutshell. a lenghty but fasinating read.