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Mile 22 S.F.S.U.

 

 

 

MILE 22 "Balloon Universe"

 

LOCATION: S.F.S.U.

 

 

PROFESSOR PETERSON

(He is speaking to his class)

 

Okay, okay! Okay now settle down… Now I know… Some of you are just taking this course- To satisfy some requirement… Or because you heard that I discovered a planet… Well, listen anyway… Because you might just "get it." So, we were talking about the expanding universe and how space... or rather... "Space-time" is curved. In four dimensions. Now it's difficult to visualize this. Thinking in four dimensions... Well, it's always... problematic. But if we think of it in three. Drop down one dimension. And think of a balloon... The surface of the balloon as a two dimensional surface. That curves back on its self. Think of the universe as the surface of an expanding balloon. With little dots on it… And each dot is a galaxy, right? Receding from each other in every direction. Now when we think of the balloon... We perceive it in THREE dimensions. We know that there IS a center. Even if we can't see it. But if we look only at the two dimensional surface...  then the term "center" is meaningless. It's like saying we are standing on the center of the surface of the Earth… Now keep that image in your mind. But now jump up a dimension. And substitute the universe for the balloon. Got it? (pause) And THAT is why there is no center of the universe. Because there is no center of the surface of the Balloon. (pause) Any questions?

 

THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS. SOMEWHERE A BALOON POPS.

 

 

 LISTEN  to a clip from 49 Miles
Performed by Peter Finch

Recorded by black box theatre.com
music by Curious Quail
"Apart we are together"

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