QUESTION: Assume the universe is like a huge balloon, perhaps a trillion light years across. Assume the universe is being pressurized by an unseen substance, dark matter or ether. Assume that there is a rupture at the edge of the universe. How long would it take for there to be no more detectable pressure?
If we assume the universe is like a massive balloon, pressurized by dark matter or ether, and a rupture occurs at its edge, the timeline for the dissipation of pressure depends on several factors:
1. Size of the Universe: Assuming a trillion light years across (though this is a simplified analogy, as the universe is likely infinite or at least much larger).
2. Nature of the Rupture: Is it a small leak or a catastrophic rupture? A small leak would cause the pressure to dissipate much more slowly, while a catastrophic rupture could cause a much quicker release.
3. Speed of Propagation: Pressure changes would propagate at or below the speed of light, meaning any effect of the rupture would take time to spread through the universe. Since the universe is approximately 93 billion light years in diameter (in the observable sense), it would take at least this amount of time for pressure effects from one side of the observable universe to reach the other, if the pressure wave moves at light speed.
4. Properties of Dark Matter or Ether: The hypothetical substance that pressurizes the universe could have properties that either slow or accelerate pressure dissipation. For instance, if it interacts weakly with regular matter and travels faster than light, the pressure could equalize rapidly. On the other hand, if it interacts only very weakly, the leak could persist for far longer.
Assuming the speed of pressure dissipation is similar to the speed of light, it would take at least hundreds of billions of years for the pressure effects to be detectable across vast distances. If the rupture were catastrophic and dark matter/ether were fully evacuated from a region, the area around the rupture would first experience the effects, but it would take ages for the "pressure drop" to reach distant parts of the universe.
Thus, the timeline could range from tens of billions to hundreds of billions of years or more, depending on the specifics of the rupture and the nature of dark matter or ether.
Interesting.