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2.2.4 The Universe as an object - not an empty space

As the deficiency of Friedman's theory becomes more and more problematic, modern cosmology becomes more and more confused and confusing. The new theory of the universe presented in this book is based on three physical insights, all suggested by Einstein - the Energy Continuum, its hyper-spherical shape, and the connection between curvature and gravity.

This view of the universe as a real object rather than a complicated mixture of mathematical models and geometric properties does not require advanced, differential geometry to describe it. Though it is shaped 'like' a hyper-sphere, it is not a hyper-sphere which is a mathematical object. The energy continuum is a real thing.

Therefore, in this book, for simplicity and clarity, the universe itself will be assumed to be an object in its own right, consisting of a closed, curved volume of distributed energy. This energy continuum consists entirely of energy which may be thought of as a kind of compressible fluid. Since this continuum of energy occupies a closed, three dimensional volume, its shape is curved, in the same way that a closed line (circle) or a closed surface (sphere) are curved. This allows the real energy continuum to be idealized as a hyper-sphere, which allows the overall shape of the universe to be considered separately from the detailed structure of local regions which we identify as the objects and processes we observe in the universe.

This hypothetical, ideal universe is perfectly symmetrical, so that its energy density, curvature, and expansion velocity, have constant values throughout its volume. This allows the real universe to be characterized by its deviation, at each point, from these ideal values. In this sense, the ideal universe acts as a datum from which the energy density, curvature, and expansion velocity, of small regions in the real universe can be measured.

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