


Can we visualize a 3D universe which is finite yet unbounded? (Einstein, 1954)
In fact it is possible for a finite spherical universe to form
within an infinite Space. Unfortunately for Einstein, he incorrectly
imagined a 'curved space' such that if you traveled far enough you would return
to your starting point! (A rather abstract and confusing idea!) The solution
is far more simple and sensible, and is found instead from Huygens'
Principle.
Christiaan Huygens found that a surface containing many separate wave
sources appeared, from a distance, as a single wave front with the shape of
the surface. This wave front is termed a 'Huygens combination'
of the separate waves. This explains how matter's spherical In-waves are formed.
The Out-waves of other SSWs (spherically distributed in the Space around us)
combine to form a Huygens 'combination wave front' which forms
the spherical In-wave of our wave-centers. (See diagrams below)
Thus Smolin is correct;
It can no longer be maintained that the properties of any one thing in the universe are independent of the existence or non-existence of everything else. It is, at last, no longer sensible to speak of a universe with only one thing in it. (Smolin, 1997)
Most importantly, this Huygens' sharing of waves means that once you go out past a certain distance in Space (the size of our finite spherical universe) you can no longer count the Out-waves of further distant matter as direct contributors to our In-waves, as these waves have already become part of closer wave-center's In and Out-waves and thus have already been counted as contributing to our In-waves. This sharing of waves is a profound discovery (Wolff, 1994) as it leads to the solution of the connection between the infinite and the finite, explains Mach's Principle, and explains the redshift with distance without assuming an expanding universe.



The large central image above was sent to me by Dan Frederiksen and is by chance similar to the diagram I made on right. The flash move below shows how they are created.
Flash movie: How other matter's Out Waves can form our matter's In-Waves (Huygens' Principle).