Even without considering any astronomical evidence, Alexander Friedmann had anticipated the modern Big Bang theory of the birth and evolution of the universe.
A century ago this month , Russian mathematician-meteorologistcomposed a paper, based on Einstein’s general theory of relativity, that outlined multiple possible histories of the universe. One such possibility described cosmic expansion, starting from a singular point. In essence, even without considering any astronomical evidence, Friedmann had anticipated the modern Big Bang theory of the birth and evolution of the universe.in a recent paperFriedmann was not well known at the time.
Friedmann accepted the new term, called the cosmological constant, but pointed out that for various values of that constant, along with other assumptions, the universe might exhibit very different behaviors. Einstein’s static universe was a special case; the universe might also expand forever, or expand for a while, then contract to a point and then begin expanding again.Zeitschrift für PhysikEinstein objected.
In 1929, Edwin Hubble reported that distant galaxies appear to be flying away from us faster than nearby galaxies, key evidence that the universe is expanding.No doubt Friedmann’s deep appreciation for the synergy of abstract math and concrete physics prepared his mind to consider the notion that the universe could be expanding. But maybe he had some additional help. Although he was the first scientist to seriously propose an expanding universe, he wasn’t the first person.
Today Friedmann’s math remains at the core of modern cosmological theory. “The fundamental equations he derived still provide the basis for the current cosmological theories of the Big Bang and the accelerating universe,” Israeli mathematician and historian Ari Belenkiy noted. “He introduced the fundamental idea of modern cosmology — that the universe is dynamic and may evolve in different manners.
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