Cosmology: Understanding the Evolution of the Universe

Cosmology: Understanding the Evolution of the Universe — page 7
CHAPTER 1 EARLY UNDERSTANDING NN hroughout recorded history human kind has asked big questions about the universe How large is it Is it finite or does space go on forever How old is it or has it always been here and will it last forever Where in the universe are we the center Or does it even have a center Is the universe fundamentally chaotic or orderly If it is ordered is this order constant through time Or is it perhaps evolving decaying still being created or going through cycles of cre ation and destruction The quest to find answers to such ques tions about the origin history and future of the universe and its structure and order is called cosmology This word in fact comes from the Greek word kosmos mean ing order and the world ANCIENT IDEAS Until the last few centuries these ques tions remained the province of religion and 12