Reading Comprehension

PT152 · S3 · P4 · Q24 Carroll and Chen's Multiverse

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Physicists posit that at first our universe was infinitesimally small and infinitely hot and dense.

Topic

Starting conditions of the universe

Framework

Old/New

Main Point

Carroll and Chen are positing that the origins of our universe was a fluctuation of energy in cold, empty space, within a vast low entropy multiverse.

Summary

The first two paragraphs introduce some background information on the Big Bang inflationary period at the beginning of our universe, the view of C&C that this type of event isn't unique, and the emerging picture of the multiverse.

The third paragraph describes how C&C got to their view, via work on entropy, and then it explains what entropy is and provides an example.

The fourth paragraph brings together the two different threads: because of what we know about entropy, what we believe about the Big Bang seems like quite a mystery. The starting conditions for the Big Bang seem like extremely unlikely starting conditions. C&C's innovation (New) is saying that the most common starting condition would be cold, empty space.

The fifth paragraph, brings in the Recent (New) research of two other people, G&V, who are able to potentially explain how cold/empty space could give way to a fluctuation as big as the Big Bang.

The last paragraph ties it together: C&C think that our universe could have emerged from an energy fluctuation in cold, empty space, occurring in a high entropy multiverse, and they think this phenomenon would likely have occurred more than once.

24.

The author’s reference to a suggestion by Garriga and Vilenkin in the fifth paragraph primarily serves to

  1. question a presupposition of the

    Wrong Purpose

    This paragraph is trying to make sense of the origin story that C&C are selling; it's not trying to undermine an assumption of the Big Bang theory.

    4% picked this

  2. raise a potential objection to

    Opposite

    This is not raising an objection but to the contrary presenting some recent research that will help support the plausibility of C&C's theory.

    5% picked this

  3. illustrate an implication of Carroll

    Wrong Role

    This isn't illustrating an implication. An implication of C&C's theory would be something like, "if they're right about how our universe was formed, then there might be other universes like ours throughout the multiverse". Instead, it's trying to substantiate an assumption of C&C's theory --- it's affirming the possibility that a Big Bang could even occur in cold, empty space.

    24% picked this

  4. Correct

    show how a puzzle raised

    Why this is right

    We often refer to these Local Purpose questions as "Bookends" questions, because the correct answers like to test the Setup or Payoff ideas that bookend the detail in question. Sure enough, right before G&V are brought up, we have C&C arguing that the most common initial condition is cold, empty space ... not an obviously favorable starting point (i.e. this supposition creates a bit of a puzzle. How would cold, empty space be conducive to a Big Bang?) The G&V research is presented and then the last sentence of this paragraph is saying that C&C "take our universe to be such fluctuations" (i.e. the fluctuations that G&V were talking about in their recent research).

    Skill tested: Local Purpose · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

    56% picked this

  5. suggest an alternative explanation of

    Wrong Role

    G&V are not brought up as an objection or an alternative. They are here to directly substantiate the theory that C&C are selling us. The last sentence of this paragraph with G&V says that C&C take our universe to such fluctuations, referring to the fluctuations that G&V were talking about. It's not an alternative explanation. It's actually the explanation!

    11% picked this

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