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what if redshift theory is incorrect aren't there other ways of detecting or proving expansion?
there are a lot of adjustable parameters needed with redshift, shouldn't an expanding universe be easier to prove or detect by now?
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Henk Mulder 10+
If red shift is incorrect, most likely an extension to the theory will fix that.
Occasionally, physicists stumble upon small inconsistencies that completely invalidate an existing theory. Many physicists dream of finding these! These are incredibly exciting occasions as it allows us to completely rethink a part of of understanding of reality. When neutrinos were detected to exceed the speed of light last year, there was a lot of excitement. Imagine proving Einstein wrong? A huge chunk of our current physics would collapse into a heap. We now know that it was due to a faulty "wire" in the neutrino speed measurement.
The big bang and the expanding universe still have huge question marks beside them. We should not be surprised to see a big evolution of that thinking in our lifetime. But when that happens, I strongly suspect that it would not prove the big bang and the expansion wrong, they would "merely" become a special case of something bigger.
jesse robb
Yes I remember when Neutrinos were detected traveling faster than the speed of light... I couldn't believe it.. but I also laughed at the 'faulty wire' explanation.
I agree 100% with what you said below and think it was well said!
"The big bang and the expanding universe still have huge question marks beside them. We should not be surprised to see a big evolution of that thinking in our lifetime. But when that happens, I strongly suspect that it would not prove the big bang and the expansion wrong, they would "merely" become a special case of something bigger."
jesse robb