Did the Universe really start out has a DOT

Question

Ok my science teacher said that the universe started out as a tiny dot. But my dad says other wise

Answer 1

Impossible to prove either way. Really you're facing a Science V. Religion debate.  

Answer 2

Depends on what you mean by dot and how accurate you want the answer to be.

Currently there is no for sure answer, but if we assume the Big Bang theory is true than there are two possible forms the Early universe could have had: finite and infinite.

If the universe was infinite than it wouldn't have been a dot as you can well imagine.

If the universe was finite than it could be considered to be a dot, but then again it might not. It is accepted that if the universe is finite (having a set amount of mass) than it is also unbounded (there are no set boundaries). To help you grasp this imagine I take off from Earth in a very fast space ship and follow a very straight path. After awhile I will end right back at Earth as long as I keep going in a straight line. Imagine an old video game, if you fly off the top of the map you reappear at the bottom of the map... this is like the universe and is why some physicists describe the universe as a loop.

So if the universe is truly finite than it wasn't really a dot.

Answer 3

“In the beginning the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.”

~ Hitchhikers Guide to the galaxy on God creating the Universe  

Answer 4

One theory is that 2 superstrings came into contact with each other which began the process.  Something I saw on Nova: The Elegant Universe.

Answer 5

Your teacher is referring to the "Big Bang Theory."  I don't know what your Dad your is telling you, but here's the truth...None of us were here a billion years ago, so no one really has the BEST ANSWER to this question. Actually people have been asking this question for years. So what should you believe? I say believe whatever makes the most sense to you, and or follow your heart. You can believe in science, believe in God, or believe in both. It's all up to you. Just like your Dad and your teacher, you're entitled to your own personal opinion.

Answer 6

Not quite.  All the stuff in the current visible universe started out about the size of a proton.  But in order for the cosmic microwave background radiation to be reaching us now, the Universe had to be at least the size of the current visible universe.  This means that the size of the Universe today is at least as much bigger than the current visible Universe as the ratio of the size of a proton to the current visible Universe.  We have the phrase astronomical distance for the mind blowing distances to nearby stars.  We have cosmological distances for the absurd distances across the visible Universe.  But for the minimum size of the whole Universe, i like to use the phrase "really huge", but sometimes with an extra adjective tossed in.

Answer 7

That's a question that not even top physicists can accurately answer - given that we can't discern information from before the start of the universe, only the fallout after, we can extrapolate the intense heat of the beginning of the universe as having been caused as an eruption from a singularity - so yes, one theory is that the universe began as an infinitely small singularity.

There -are-, however, many explanations. It would be important to consider evidence and base your opinion on the matter upon that, though, and not just listen to what someone (even your dad!) tells you.