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Most objects in the universe cycle around their centre of mass: earth, sun, galaxies. Even galaxy clusters. However, the whole universe doesn't possess an angular momentum. It can't: If it had one, the centre would be a special point (which isn't allowed) and the velocities of the outer regions would easily become infinite. How does the angular momentum vanish with increasing scale? Shouldn't the laws of nature that lead to cycling for smaller objects also hold for larger objects?

User Windowsill
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Final answer:

The whole universe does not possess angular momentum because if it did, the center would be a special point and the outer regions' velocities would become infinite. The conservation of angular momentum applies to systems of particles, like spiral galaxies and the solar system, but not to the entire universe. The conditions for conservation of angular momentum, including constant mass, velocity, and distance from the spin center, do not hold on a universal scale.

Step-by-step explanation:

Although most objects in the universe cycle around their center of mass, the whole universe as a whole does not possess angular momentum. This is because if the universe had angular momentum, the center would be a special point, and the velocities of the outer regions would become infinite. The laws of nature that lead to cycling for smaller objects, such as planets and galaxies, do not hold for the entire universe.

The conservation of angular momentum is a concept that applies to systems of particles, such as spiral galaxies and the solar system. In these systems, the individual particles contribute to the total angular momentum of the system. However, when it comes to the entire universe, the concept of angular momentum breaks down due to the unique nature of the universe as a whole.

It is important to note that the conservation of angular momentum only holds for systems where the three quantities of angular momentum remain constant: mass, velocity, and distance from the spin center. As the scale of the system increases, such as in the case of the universe, the conditions for conservation of angular momentum no longer apply, leading to the absence of angular momentum on a universal scale.

User Forecaster
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