10/14/07

Big Bang & Beyond

Faith and Science in ParallelDon E. Bray

College Station, Texas979-492-9534

debray1@mac.com

Presentation at Christ United Methodist Church, 10/25/07

DRAFT

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Parallel Paths of Knowledge

“…just as I believe that the Book of Scripture illuminates the pathway to God, I also believe that the Book of Nature, in all of its astonishing detail - the blade of grass, the missing mass five, or the incredible intricacy of DNA -suggest a God of purpose and a God of design. And, I think that my belief makes me no less a scientist.”

Owen Gingrich, Gods Universe, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA 2006., pp. 79.

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Assumptions

A. Universe that we see, and anything beyond, was “created” in the Big Bang.

B. The Universe is statistically distributed, i.e. mass and energy were randomly distributed in “chaos” shortly after the Big Bang.

C. Associations of the masses and energy are governed by the Laws of Physics which also came with the Big Bang.

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Chaos in the Universe

Dust seen by the Hubble

M31 Oregon

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Our Solar System May 2002

Sky & Telescope Magazine

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Physical Laws Affecting the Universe

Gravitational attraction

€

F = Gm1m2

R2

Space Mass 1 Space Mass 2

m1 m2

Fa Fa

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Physical Laws Affecting the Universe

Rotation

TensionForce

CentrifugalForce

m

Outward centrifugal force caused by rotation is balanced by the inward restraining force, which could be a string or, for space, gravity.

Centrifugal Force

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The Scientific Method

The term scientific method is used to describe controlled experiments where the outcomes of several repetitions may produce different results. The differences in outcomes may be attributed to experimental error, or to erroneous assumptions. The mathematical error shows the degree of agreement or disagreement with the initial assumption.

Adapted from:

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-60609/principles-of-physical-science

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Likelihoods or Probabilities Expresses likelihood of an event occurring A baseball hitter batting 0.333 will be expected

to get a hit once for every three times at bat. A baseball hitter batting 0.200 will be expected

to get a hit once for every five times at bat. These batting averages are based on the data

set which is the previous batting record of the individual.

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Using Probabilities The probability is an expectation, not an

assured result. The baseball manager cannot expect that a

batter hitting 300 will always get a hit. He may go hitless for ten at bats and then get four or five straight hits.

A probability = 1 is assured, will always occur. A probability = 0 will never occur.

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What is the correct time? Class of 17 students is unaware of the

upcoming experiment. Students watches are mixture of mechanical

and digital. Instructor’s watch is set to the exactly correct

time using WWV before class. At the signal, all students write down the time

indication on their watches.

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Instantaneous Readings of Student’s Watches

13:14.4 13:13.3 13:13.0 13:14.8

13:19.7 13:12.0 13:12.7 13:13.8

13:19.5 13:15.3 13:13.2 13:16.8

13:15.0 13:16.3 13:13.7 13:13.6

13:13.5

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Statistical AnalysisStudent Watch Time Minutes Rank Adjusted

1 13:14.4 14.40 12.00 12.002 13:13.3 13.30 12.70 12.703 13:13.0 13.00 13.00 13.004 13:14.8 14.80 13.20 13.205 13:19.7 19.70 13.30 13.306 13:12.0 12.00 13.50 13.507 13:12.7 12.70 13.60 13.608 13:13.8 13.80 13.70 13.709 13:19.5 19.50 13.80 13.80

10 13:15.3 15.30 14.40 14.4011 13:13.2 13.20 14.80 14.8012 13:16.8 16.80 15.00 15.0013 13:15.0 15.00 15.30 15.3014 13:16.3 16.30 16.30 16.3015 13:13.7 13.70 16.80 16.8016 13:13.6 13.60 19.5017 13:13.5 13.50 19.70

Avg 14.74 14.74 14.09STDEV 2.213 2.213 1.332N 17 17 15

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Adjusted DataStudent Watch Time Minutes Rank Adjusted

1 13:14.4 14.40 12.00 12.002 13:13.3 13.30 12.70 12.703 13:13.0 13.00 13.00 13.004 13:14.8 14.80 13.20 13.205 13:19.7 19.70 13.30 13.306 13:12.0 12.00 13.50 13.507 13:12.7 12.70 13.60 13.608 13:13.8 13.80 13.70 13.709 13:19.5 19.50 13.80 13.80

10 13:15.3 15.30 14.40 14.4011 13:13.2 13.20 14.80 14.8012 13:16.8 16.80 15.00 15.0013 13:15.0 15.00 15.30 15.3014 13:16.3 16.30 16.30 16.3015 13:13.7 13.70 16.80 16.8016 13:13.6 13.60 19.5017 13:13.5 13.50 19.70

Avg 14.74 14.74 14.09STDEV 2.213 2.213 1.332N 17 17 15

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Normal Distribution Curves

To be added

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Comparing Student’s Watch Times to True Time of 13:14.00

13:14.4 13:13.3 13:13.0 13:14.8

13:19.7 13:12.0 13:12.7 13:13.8

13:19.5 13:15.3 13:13.2 13:16.8

13:15.0 13:16.3 13:13.7 13:13.6

13:13.5

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Conclusion from Time Analysis If a student is randomly selected and asked

“What is the time?”, there is a likelihood of getting a very wrong answer.

Confidence in getting the right answer is increased by putting the question to more students.

There is always a likelihood of error, there are no absolutes.

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What can we see by looking up?

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Visible items

Galaxies beyond our Milky Way

Nebulae showing explosive formation

Star clusters at the boundary of our Milky Way

Planets showing the result of orderly formation

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Andromeda Galaxy (M31)

From the Hubble

Telescope view from my backyard

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Orion Nebula (M42)From the Hubble

From my backyard

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Planets

Saturn

Venus

Jupiter and Moons

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What can we see by looking around?

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Visible Items Sedimentary layering

Displacement due to upheaval

Volcanic release.

Effects of continental drift

Erosion due to large water release by glaciers

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Horizontal Layers in Sandstone Sediments

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Inclined Layers Show Dynamic Earth

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At left - Large granite boulder.

At right - Smaller, broken granite rocks down the side of the mountain.

10/14/07 Encyclopedia Britannica, 2002, World Atlas, Hammond, 1988

XX X

XXXXX

X Bauxite Locations

Geological and Biological Patterns

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Coastline in Brazil

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Basalt Pillows

Mountains in Northern Maine

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How Our Solar System Stabilized

http://media.skyandtelescope.com/video/Solar_System_Sim.mov

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Present Model of our Milky Way

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“And yet, small as is our whole system compared with the infinitude of creation, brief as is our life compared to the cycles of time, we are so tethered to all by the beautiful dependences of law, that not only the sparrow’s fall is felt at the outermost bound, but the vibrations set in motion by the words that we utter reach through all space and the tremor is felt through all time” Maria Mitchell, 1819-1889.

Sweeper in the Sky, Helen Wright, The Macmillan Company, New York, 1949, pp. 227.

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The entire universe (including the

earth) is governed by physical

law, always has been, and always

will be.

12/4/08

Some Chronology 2800 BCE Egyptians observe that Sirius aligns each year at the time of the solstice. 1400 BCE Genesis by Moses 1200 BCE The Iliad by Homer 740-690 BCE Isaiah 600-400 BCE Job 384 – 322 BCE Aristotle 310-230 BCE Aristarchus proposes that the Earth revolves around the Sun. 250 BCE - 68 AD Dead Sea Scrolls 127 –145 Ptolemy 1483 - 1546 Martin Luther 1492 Columbus sails to America 1509-1564 John Calvin 1519 Magellan proves world is round. 1564-1616 William Shakespeare 1607 Jamestown, VA established 1564 – 1642 Galileo 1629 King James version of the Bible printed 1642-1727 Newton 1703-1791 John Wesley 1775 Lexington and Concord – “Shot Heard Around the World”

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What the Wesleys Believed?

Is the Earth round? – Probably believed this. Is the Earth or the Sun the center of the universe

(heliocentric)? The “New Astronomy” was debated by 18th century theologians. Wesley’s writings alternately expressed belief in both systems, but in the end they probably believed in the heliocentric system. Vanderbilt Divinity School, 2004.

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Chronology of Biblical and Scientific Knowledge

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The Formative Period

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Existing Beliefs

Moses King James

Wesleys Now

Planetary Movement

Yes Yes Yes Yes

Earth Round No Yes Yes YesSun Center of Universe

No No Probably Yes

Yes

Geological Age No No Probably Not

Some

Continental Drift No No No Some

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How does the rule of physical law affect our faith?

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In ancient history, several religion beliefs were discarded

4000 BCE - Sumerians in Mesopotamia worshiped the sun, moon and Venus.

Romans & Greeks worshipped Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn et al.

Jewish culture rejected multiple gods and became monotheistic.

Jewish culture retained belief that God acted through the heavens.

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In modern history, also, several notable beliefs have been challenged.

Geocentric vs. Heliocentric world systems (Earth centered vs. sun centered).

Age of the earth (6000 years vs. >250 million years.) Biblical creation story. Adam and Eve Noah’s flood

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Grand Duchess of Tuscany Took issue with Galileo over Joshua 10 12-13

“… the sun stood still..” This was considered to be fact. If the sun was the center of the universe, it

would be the Earth that would need to stop for this to be literally true.

After acceptance of Copernicus and Galileo’s work, Joshua 10 12-13 must have been a miracle for it to be true.

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Is the Old Testament Free of Factual Error?

No. Look at 1 Kings 7:23

“… the molten sea: it was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high. A line of thirty cubits would encircle it completely.”

This the physical and mathematical definition of pi (∏).

The correct value of pi is 3.14156

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Methodism on Reason "Since all truth is from God, efforts to discern the connections between revelation and reason, faith and science, grace and nature, are useful endeavors in developing credible and communicable doctrine."

“Science and theology are complementary rather than mutually incompatible. We therefore encourage dialog between the scientific and theological communities…”

The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, The United Methodist Publishing House, Nashville, Tennessee, 1996. pps. 80 and 86

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Two Views on the CreationGenesis 1 Genesis 1The Beginning 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was [a] formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. ….

Genesis 2.44These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. 6But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 7And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 8And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

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Two Views on the Spread of Mankind

The sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japeth. Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah; and from these the whole Earth was peopled.Genesis 9:18-19

"Modern" humans (our ancestors) date back 100,000 years (in Africa). The principal migration of "modern" humans out of Africa occurred about 10,000 years ago. Some of these would have migrated to Mesopotamia and beyond. It is rather amazing that these migrations took humans to every corner of the world, including Australia, Iceland, and North and South America. As they say, timing is everything, and the great ice age came along at the right time to lower the sea level 200 feet, giving humans access to what is now Indonesia and Australia and a land bridge across the Bering Straits from Russia to America. To me, this is a rather amazing story. Certainly more important to human history than the flood.Commentor to Leon

Hale’s column on the Flood 21 August 2007

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10,000 Other Galaxies

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Reverend Jerry House, Jr. Sermon on the Creation Story 04/28/05

Here he is describing the biblical-scientific synthesis approach to understanding the book of Genesis

…it was written this way to show us that this story is a story about faith, not about science. Which is to say that it does not stand counter necessarily to scientific discoveries, but that it actually serves a higher purpose.Further reading: Rev. Ron Hodges, 14 April 2002, http://www.gbgm-umc.org/christut/april14.htm

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Random Selection and a Designer

“…just as I believe that the Book of Scripture illuminates the pathway to God, I also believe that the Book of Nature, in all of its astonishing detail - the blade of grass, the missing mass five, or the incredible intricacy of DNA -suggest a God of purpose and a God of design. And, I think that my belief makes me no less a scientist.”

Owen Gingrich, Gods Universe, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA 2006., pp. 79.

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How do these issues affect us?

A recent poll by The Pew Forum on Religion in Public Life (August 30, 2005) found that 42% of the people in the US believe that the Earth has existed in its present form since the beginning of time. (http://pewforum.org/). Clearly, this view is contrary to physical evidence showing that time and change are roughly traceable to the origin of the universe.

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Scientific Creationism

Henry M. Morris, Ph. D., Creation Life Publishers, San Diego, CA 1974.

Prepared by a team from The Institute of Creation Research. They state that “ the Creation Model does not require a short time scale. It merely assumes a period of special creation sometime in the past, without necessarily stating when that was.”

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“The Grand Canyon - a different view,”

This is a beautiful book, sold at the National Park Service bookstores in the same section where Indian Myths on the Creation are sold.

The authors include those with good scientific credentials as well as those with little or no scientific training.

Their premise is “the Bible, in its original form, is the inerrant Word of God.” pp. 7.

They reject anything other than a 6000 year age for the Earth. They propose that the hydraulic pressure of the water from Noah’s

Flood caused the rock formations to fracture and the rush of water caused the erosion. Pp. 62.Tom Vail, Master Books, Green Forest, AR 2003.

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Then, there are the Reasons to Believe People

This group (http://www.reasons.org/) proposes to show a scientific proof of the existence of God. They have reported to have a testable model. However, in a recent appearance at TAMU, they were forced by the panel to admit that their model required the supernatural.

This is the group most supportive of Intelligent Design as a scientific discipline.

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New frontiers

Origin of humans.

Evolution.

Life on other planets and in other galaxies.

Are there other universes?

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About the author

Don E. Bray is a mechanical engineer and Associate Professor Emeritus in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. Additionally, he has graduate education in seismology and geophysics from the University of Oklahoma, where he completed his Ph. D. degree in mechanical engineering. Other degrees in mechanical engineering are from the University of Houston and Southern Methodist University. He holds Fellow membership rank in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Acoustical Society of America. He also is an amateur astronomer.