Multiple universes lead to an infinity of possibilities
Zack Becker, Opinion Editor
February 25, 2010
Filed under Opinion
Imagine one day that a person wakes up to find things weren’t the same as when he went to bed. Let’s say when he woke up, the sky was green and the sun rose from the north. His bedroom is a mirror image of what it was the last time he was conscious. He goes downstairs to find that he is living with different people; people he has never seen before. What is going on here? While it is highly unlikely that this could ever happen (in our universe), this story is an example of the multiverse theory.
The multiverse can be defined as containing every possible universe in which every event has ever occurred, any form of matter existed and all laws of physics as well as other laws of nature are established. In short, the multiverse is infinite. An infinity of universes means that somewhere, somehow, everything possible has taken place.
The term came about in 1895 and may more commonly be known as the parallel universe theory. It was recently popularized by the first episode of ‘Family Guy’ of the newest season. Two of the characters create a device that allows them to travel to any possible universe ranging from the mundane to the bizarre.
We could say that the traveler in the story I presented somehow crossed a dimensional rift (I’m sure the term has been used in ‘Star Trek’) to enter the world he is in now. Some laws of nature, different from our own, explains why the sky is green and why the sun is rising from the north. Someone in his new universe built his house exactly opposite from the one he was previously living in. Somewhere in history…explaining different relatives could get complicated.
Another story that demonstrates the theory of universes is the one of Shroedinger’s Cat. In this experiment a cat is placed inside a box next to a vial of poisonous gas that could easily be broken (I apologize to any cat lovers; it’s just the way the experiment goes). Anything that occurs in the box results in a split into two separate universes. Hypothetically, the cat is both dead and alive, and no one will know until the box is opened. Whether the cat is still alive depends on which universe the viewer is in.
The multiverse theory also supports the existence of the made-up worlds seen in movies, video games, and read in books. It even supports the fact the events of down-to-earth (that is, no fantasy elements) movies such as ‘Valentine’s Day’ or ‘Dear John’ have really taken place somewhere. It suggests that what the laws of physics are here on our earth can be mindbogglingly bended in other worlds to the point that we probably couldn’t comprehend.
It’s quite a big concept to comprehend and remember, it’s only a theory. Scientists are nowhere near creating a machine that could transport a human to a parallel universe. But it does open up the mind to imagine that, maybe, the place you dreamed about last night is real–somewhere, somehow. Or, that in another universe, you are with the person you’ve always wanted to be with.
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