Hello all,

I have a small question that I hope is easy to answer.
On the way home from work today I was thinking about the big bang. All of the sources I have seen refer to the big bang starting from an area the size of an atom. Is this a metaphorical atom (ie the actual size is unknown but it is believed to be very very small), is it a fanciful creation (ie the starting size could be anything from the size of jupiter to a proton but we'll use the size of an atom because it sounds good) or is it the case of actually being the size of an atom because that is what the mathematical models show (and in this case what type of atom, Hydrogen or Unquilquinium)?

Thank you for your time

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um oo er

The big bang can be modeled back to the "Planck length", after which quantum effects take over and no modeling can be done. At that point the universe was 1.6 * 10^-35 meters in diameter. This is 10^21 times smaller than an atomic nucleus.

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Everything I need to know I learned through Googling.

This wiki entry should help, for now.

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"As truth is gathered, I rearrange,
Inside out, outside in - Perpetual change." - A British rock band

Thank you, just the answer I needed.

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um oo er

The monoblock was about yay big. About that size. :roll:

I used it as a doorstop.