Design Of The Universe

[Rev. Green]

If you had designed the Universe, would you have designed this one?

[davebro]

no - some of the others are much prettier

[jim360]

Depends on what I was trying to achieve. A universe that's "prettier", depending on what you mean by that, might also be more boring :P

[Zacs-Master]

Nope, I’d have designed one without mankind being able to evolve.

[Old_Geezer]

In one wanted intelligence to evolve one probably has little option aside from this one. Change any of the 'constants' and nothing much happens.

[johnk]

I wouldn't let one species come along and wreck one of the best planets I've made.

[drmorgans]

universe 14 billion years, solar system 4 billion years, homo sapiens 200,000 years - I think "we" lack the perspective of time

[1ozzy]

Yep!
But in hindsight more effort designing me would have been better,,

[Khandro]

The Greek philosopher Posidonious believed in the interconnectedness of the universe to including ourselves, there are similar parallels in Buddhist philosophy, and in this long (but worthwhile) lecture, Dr Rupert Sheldrake posits not only interconnection, but consciousness to boot!

[douglas9401]

It would be almost the same except that everything would revolve around me.

[1ozzy]

Every universe needs a centre,,

[davebro]

my brane hurts!

[Rev. Green]

Could the design have been simpler? Perhaps just electrons and protons, or something similar. Who needs the neutron, except people doing carbon dating? We'd need photons to hold atoms together, W or Z to hold nuclei together, and gravitons to hold stars together. Are these five enough? I think we'd lose nuclear fission, but perhaps the H-bomb would still work to keep Putin happy.

[sunny-dave]

Surely this is the way to go ...

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/b2/23/47/b223478abe4fe225963e8866982e15ac.jpg

[davebro]

The 2nd law of thermodynamics dictates that the degree of disorder in the universe will inexorably increase until all that's left is a sea of photons. As time is measured by changes and there will no longer be any changes time stops at that point.
(other theories are available)

[Arksided]

neutrinos, quarks, and electrons formed at 'the big bang' before Photons. It hasn't been explained why as nobody knows why so erratic.

Hence the search for the so called 'God Particle' in the LHD (Large Hadron Collider)

As Einstein one said 'The only Universal constant is change'
Good grief imagine if it were symmetrical and balanced, non of us would be here.

[jim360]

If the "God Particle" was ever a thing, it would be the Higgs boson, and we already discovered that. It doesn't (and indeed can't) explain the conditions at the Big Bang, which are altogether more complicated sadly!

To answer some of Rev green's suggestions, although bear in mind that there's a good deal of "this is how it is so maybe that's how it always has to be" implicit in what follows:

// Who needs the neutron, except people doing carbon dating? //

The neutron has a vital role in keeping nuclei together by virtue of balancing the protons. The strong force holds all nucleons together, but has to act against the natural tendency of like charges to repel each other. By adding neutrons you get some "free" strong attraction without adding any electric repulsion. So it's probably at least harder to imagine a universe being interesting without neutrons. Besides, good look having a composite particle made of two up quarks and a down quark whilst excluding a particle with two downs and an up.

// We'd need photons to hold atoms together... //

photons can't really do that.

// ... W or Z to hold nuclei together...//

If anything, they do the exact opposite, since W's are responsible for changes of quark flavour in radioactive beta decay.

//... gravitons to hold stars together//

Gravitons are only really relevant in extreme gravitational situations, like collisions of black holes or whatever the hell happens near the centres of those things. You could get by perhaps without a quantum of gravity and just build a universe with basic Newtonian gravity, which perhaps is what you had in mind?

[Arksided]

Keeping it in laymen's terms, I respect you I do have a masters in Physic's and go on what Brian Cox explains... ;-) Higgs boson, I did mean to put in Brackets.

[Arksided]

So you taught me nowt Jim... answer Rev.'s question about you designinging it differently ... would you. and climb down .

[jim360]

Not sure what you're asking in your last, Arksided.

[Arksided]

OP: If you had designed the Universe, would you have designed this one?