Running Head: Spacetime Singularities

Spacetime Singularities

Grant Spade

Independent Study
Mrs. Graves
June 11, 2015

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Significance
As we expand our knowledge, we realize how ignorant we are about the world around us.
That was the first thing we were introduced to in Independent Study, and it got me thinking on
things I would like to better verse myself in. I wanted to research a topic I was thoroughly
interested in, so I focused on astronomy, and thus I came upon the concept of a singularity; a
point in spacetime that has infinite density, and is thus a tear in spacetime. The singularity had
been a hot topic in the scientific and philosophical community in the past several years, since it
leads to doubts in our comprehension of the universe. However, if we are able to understand how
a singularity works, we could gain insight on the creation of the universe and the inner workings
of black holes. We also might be able to perform science miracle such as time travel or wormhole
travel, since a singularity would be the only location in space that such concepts might be
possible.
The Beginning of the Search
I first came upon this topic at the young age of 7 when my dad introduced me to NOVA
videos regarding general relativity and Einsteinian physics. Most of them focused on the
progression of string theory, but there were some portions regarding how black holes affect the
fabric of spacetime, which piqued my interest. Before researching, I knew that a singularity was
a point at which there was infinite gravity and density, and that it occurs at the center of a black
hole, giving it immense gravitational attraction. My knowledge at the time was very limited, so I
began my search. I initially found a website from Stanford that appeared to have everything I
needed 1, but it was difficult to comprehend because of its diction, length, and introduction of
concepts I wasnt familiar with, so I looked for other sources that might help me understand. The
next place I went to scrape for details was, sadly, Wikipedia 2. This gave me some insight, yet it
was also rather complicated, so I turned to other sources for clearer cut definitions. The first

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source that I found useful was one that simplified the concept extremely, and provided me with
the broad definition of a singularity 3. I then looked for any other sources that could provide me
with information, and I turned up with two more 4,5. I then revisited the first article I found 1 as
well as the Wikipedia page 2, and I began to get a clearer grasp on what they were saying.
The Results
The broad definition of a singularity in physics is a quantity that approaches infinity as
another approaches zero 3. A spacetime singularity is a point in spacetime which the gravitational
field becomes infinite. This is regarded as a breakdown of geometric structure in space and
time 5. Since the pure definition of a spacetime singularity is still debated on, the most commonly
accepted one is that a maximum spacetime is singular if and only if it contains an inextendible
path of finite generalized affine length, meaning that all paths taken within the singularity are
infinite 1. However, this definition only explains the cause for the effects on an observer in a
singularity, rather than providing a mechanism behind it. Currently, there are no observations of a
naked singularity, that is, one that exists purely as itself and can be observed directly 2. All
theory of singularities has been based off of ones inside black holes, and calculations based off of
a black holes gravitational field. Because light cannot escape a black hole, a singularity cannot
be directly observed. The only naked singularity thought to have existed was the big bang itself 4.
The main argument for the existence of singularities is the gravitational force black holes
exhibit. Singularities were determined mathematically using the speed of light and what kind of
force would be required for it to be unable to escape a black hole. The answer was simple;
Infinite Gravity. If gravity is infinite at a point in spacetime, theoretically nothing would be able
to escape it. However, since a black hole takes up a finite amount of space, the density at the
center of the black hole would have to be infinite in order to exhibit an incredibly strong

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gravitational field. Thus the problem of a singularity is created. Because the current laws of
physics dont account for infinite values, they become pointless, and thus break down 4. The
dilemma in this case is the speed of light. As we know it, light speed is the fastest thing in the
universe, so if something were to have a force that overcame that speed limit, our understanding
of the universe is thrown into chaos. This is what sparked much scientific and philosophical
debate regarding our attempt to quantifiably understand the universe.
Since laws of physics begin to break down when observing properties that are infinite,
singularities are not able to be fully explained. However, since they do create problems in the
real universe rather than the theoretical one, singularities have to be resolved. Because a
singularity is determinate of a quantity that approaches 0, most problems arise as the relative size
of the objects interacting becomes incredibly small. However, quantum mechanics and other
small-scale theory are commonly used to resolve the singularity, as they explain processes at the
atomic and subatomic level 3.
Spacetime singularities are more difficult to resolve, however, since we know so little
about them. Quantum mechanics is expected to explain them in the future, but so far scientists
are simply making conjecture. In terms of a spacetime singularity, one solution proposed is to
extend the model of spacetime so that a path that previously led to the singularity, and thus
nowhere, would continue on through it and exit at another point in spacetime 1,5. Yet solutions
such as this are inconclusive, as we have no pure definition for a spacetime singularity since it
cant be directly observed. Even if we conclude that incomplete paths in space represent a
singular entity, it does nothing to better the definition of its structure, and thus we have only have
a loose definition. Because we know so little about singularities and their role in general

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relativity, many scientists believe that general relativity needs to be reworked in order to make
calculations based off of them 1.
The most well known and commonly accepted theory of the creation of the universe
would be the Big Bang. An incredibly important discovery that led to the support of this idea was
the theory of inflation, stating that the universe is expanding as time progresses. This theory was
developed by analysis of star luminosity and red-shift calculations. Another crucial part of this
theory is the fact that in order to have the repulsion forces today, at one point the universe had to
be incredibly condensed, and expand at a rapid rate in a short time. Steven Hawking, along with
Penrose and Geroch, created several singularity theorems in the late 1960s 1. These theorems
revealed that under certain reasonable conditions, singularities could not be avoided in the
creation of the universe, as well as indicating that our universe began with an initial singularity.
The Big Bang is also hypothesized to be the only naked singularity to have existed 4. If we can
truly understand how singularities operate, we may gain insight on what happened during the Big
Bang.
Future Endeavors
Personally, I would like to revisit the first source some more and pick out additional
information that I may have missed. Ive only scratched the surface with this topic, and I realize
that I want to know more. I dont know too many experts on this field, so I would like to expand
my repertoire of contacts. Most people I who seemed well versed in the subject were college
professors, so contacting them may be beneficial. The main goal I wish to accomplish for the
future is being able to understand the mathematical computations behind these conclusions.
Because singularities exist as mathematical problems, I would need to learn calculus to make
more valid conclusions.

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Related research could include other astrological phenomena, such as star collapse,
quasars, pulsars, etc. The formation of nebulae also piqued my interest, so I would hope to delve
into that topic more. One could also look at it from a more mathematical viewpoint and, say,
calculate the escape velocity of light from a black hole. I would highly recommend this topic to
anyone interested in astronomy and mathematics, as it has much to offer in regards to both. I
would also recommend for the topic to be looked at philosophically, if that may intrigue potential
researchers. Because the topic of astronomy is so wide and pertains to the disciplines of focus for
the Academy, I believe it to be suitable for any junior or senior projects.
References
1. Bokulich, P., Curiel, E. Singularities and Black Holes [Internet]. [Updated 2009 June 29]. The
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2012 Edition). Edward N. Zalta (ed.); [cited 2015
May 30]. Available from: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/spacetime-singularities/
2. Gravitational Singularity [Internet]. [Updated 2015 June 3]. Wikipedia; [cited 2015 May 30].
Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_singularity
3. Nelson, B. What is a singularity and why do all laws of physics break down at a singularity?
[Internet]. PhysLink; [cited 2015 June 1]. Available from:
http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae251.cfm
4. Mastin, L. Singularities [Internet]. The Physics of the Universe; [cited 2015 June 7]. Available
from: http://www.physicsoftheuniverse.com/topics_blackholes_singularities.html
5. Uggla, C. Spacetime Singularities [Internet]. Einstein-online; [cited 2015 June 7]. Available
from: http://www.einstein-online.info/spotlights/singularities