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Path: utzoo!utcsrgv!utcsstat!laura
From: laura@utcsstat.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: The General Theory of Relativity and Cosmology
Message-ID: <679@utcsstat.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 16-Jun-83 02:40:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcsstat.679
Posted: Thu Jun 16 02:40:45 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 16-Jun-83 08:02:05 EDT
References: <349@lanl-a.UUCP>
Organization: U. of Toronto, Canada
Lines: 38

When I was a child I stumbled on the Steady State theory of cosmology
long before the Big Bang. I found it a rather emotionally satisfying
theory. Later, alas, I was told that it was obselete, and was horribly
disappointed. Much later, I discovered that the people who told me that
Big Bang was definitely it (such as high school physics teachers) were
oversimplifying.

When I finally went out and hit the physics textbooks myself, I find
a lot of contradictions. I also keep having to look up the names of
physicists to see what else they were doing and whether they changed their
minds about some of the theories they used to advance Big Bang or
Steady State throughout their lives.

As if this were not bad enough, I learned that the maths were hideously
complicated and you could spend weeks and months looking at one equation
not understanding it at all.

Now I have a problem. I would dearly love to believe in Steady State for
personal reasons, but I am not going to adopt it if it is generally
thought false by physicists who know far, far better than I. On the
other hand, if there is about equal strength to either hypothesis,
one only being currently "popular" among the general public, then
I can go back to believing Steady State, cant I? 

What I need is the names of current books and articles written by the
proponents of both theories so I can better understand each view. I
would be especially greatful if only Undergraduate level math was
required to understand the views as well. 

you can reach me at utzoo!utcsstat!laura. Utzoo talks to many sites
including linus, allegra and ihnp4. In desperation you can try the
decvax!utzoo link, but it has not been very reliable lately.

Thank you very much,
Laura Creighton
utzoo!utcsstat!laura

now, if you could only restore my belief in Santa Claus....