| Universe | Cosmos |
|---|---|
| It connotes a smaller scope. | It connotes a larger scope. |
| It was first used by the Roman philosopher, theorist, and statesman — Cicero. | It was first used by the Greek philosopher and mathematician — Pythagoras. |
| It means whole or entire. | It means order or orderly arrangement. |
| It is everything that exists and that includes time and space, matter, and even the natural laws. | It is a whole harmonious and orderly system governed by natural laws. |
What Is The Difference Between The Universe and The Cosmos?
by Kevin Hays
https://departingearth.com/what-is-the-difference-between-the-universe-and-the-cosmos/
‘Universe’ and ‘cosmos’ are two words that are popularly used interchangeably to identify the system in which we live. Irrespective of the fact that these words can be used interchangeably, they refer to two different phenomena (cosmos for “order” and universe for “chaos”). Now the question that might come to mind after learning that these two words that are normally used interchangeably refer to two different phenomena is “what is the difference between the universe and the cosmos?”
The universe simply means everything that exists including time and space, matter, as well as the laws that govern them. The cosmos, on the other hand, is a whole harmonious and orderly system that is fully governed by natural laws.
The two terms – universe and cosmos are often used in fields like cosmology, astronomy, astrophysics, thermodynamics, chemistry, philosophy, and various other fields. To excel in any of those fields, one has to have a proper understanding of what both terms mean. In the rest of this article, we will be giving a detailed explanation of these two phenomena so, sit tight!
What is the difference between the universe and the cosmos?
Before delving down into the differences between the universe and the cosmos, we believe it is right to give you a little insight into what the two terms truly mean.
Universe
The universe is generally referred to as “everything that exists.” In the sense that the universe comprises of everything ranging from the atoms to which we are made of, down to the galaxies and intergalactic space. It originates from a Latin word, “Universus”, “Un” meaning Uni (or one), and “Versus” meaning something that can rotate (or roll or change). The French adopted the Latin word as “Univers” and it was then translated to “Universe.”
In these modern times, people tend to refer to the Universe as the Cosmos, nature, and even the world and it seems like the concept of multiverses has appeared. Multiverse simply refers to other universes that feature different properties compared to the one we live in. In places like that, the fundamental constants are usually different like the universal gravitational constant, the Planck constant, and the speed of light. In recent scientific theories, one can as well find the concept of parallel universes.
In thermodynamics, people use the term “universe” in identifying the collection of the system that was observed as well as the surroundings. In this sense, the universe tends to correlate with whatever subject is being talked about. Modern science tends to consider the universe to be infinite, but the observable universe is finite.
Cosmos
Cosmos is a phrase that is used in most situations to identify the universe but it can as well be used in other senses too. The proper definition of the cosmos is simply something that is ordered. The word “cosmos” is derived from the Greek word “Kosmos” or “κόσμος”, meaning “order” or “ornament.” Chaos, meaning “disorder” and “imperfectness” is the opposite term for the word cosmos. Cosmology is the study of the cosmos.
Based on older theories of the universe, it was believed that the system was ordered and perfect, but in the true sense and from later observations by scientists as well as the new theories, it was shown that the universe is no doubt very chaotic. These ideas were brought to us through statistical physics and quantum mechanics. Irrespective of the fact that the universe is not an ordered system, people still use the word “cosmos” as a synonym for the word “universe.”
The Differences Between The Universe and The Cosmos
Which is bigger, the universe or the cosmos?
Despite some cosmologists’ disagreement with the fact that the cosmos is bigger than the universe, most astronomers believe the cosmos is bigger than the universe. So, just like in any other situation, the majority carries the vote meaning that the cosmos is bigger than the universe.
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have estimated that over two trillion galaxies lie in the cosmos, and the cosmos are made up of multiverses. Andrei Linde, a Russian-American Physicist, and Professor Vitaly Vanchurin, who is also a physicist, made attempts to find out the number of universes that make you the multiverse. They were able to get the value after applying some reasonable rules, and it totted up to a humungous amount of at least 10^10^10^7.
How many universes are in the cosmos?
The universe is formed from trillions of galaxies. Galaxies were thought to be less than the proposed numbers until scientists discovered faint galaxies that were located far away. A billion years ago, the number of galaxies known to be in the universe was way more than the number we have presently. There were ten times as many galaxies in a particular space as there are within the same space.
These galaxies integrated to form larger galaxies which reduced the population of the galaxies in space. The universe can be described in two ways, depending on one’s definition; you can see the universe as a ‘whole body’ or ‘all there is’. But, if your definition of a universe goes as ‘all we can ever see’, then, have in mind that we have more than one universe which we call the multiverse.
Andre Linde developed a theory called ‘eternal chaotic inflation’ which explains that the universes are multiplied infinitely. The neologism ‘multiverse’ which was developed by scientists, which Andrei Linde agreed to, explains that the universe as a whole-body divides into different large portions which we call the multiverses can be suitable in some areas and unsuitable in some with different laws of physics guiding them.
Alan Guth, a physicist also claims that the eternal chaotic inflation was generated from cosmic inflation. He formulated this rule to answer the questions that came with the cosmology of our universe. Cosmic inflation explains to us the origin and the structure of the universe. Have in mind that cosmic inflation doesn’t stop everywhere simultaneously, which led to the theory of eternal chaotic inflation that produces different universes called ‘the pocket universes’ without stopping.
The pocket universe is larger than the observable universe. It is said to be 10^23 larger than the observable universe. The only reason most scientists support the theory of cosmic inflation is to get a reasonable answer to the question of the existence and origin of the cosmos.
A cosmologist at MIT, by the name, Max Tegmark classifies the multiverses into four types which he refers to as ‘levels’.
Now, have it in mind that not all cosmologists agree with the concept of a ‘multiverse’.
What does it mean to understand the universe as a cosmos?
Cosmology can be seen as the origin and understanding of the universe. There are many questions that we are faced with when it comes to understanding the universe. At the same time, we still do not know how to explain it when it comes to cosmology.
This supports the fact that we are missing some important details about the cosmos. It is the first state of the universe. These days, some researchers even regard the two as being the same.
Like we explained earlier, the cosmos and the universe are seen from different points of view by cosmologists. One can refer to the cosmos when talking about the well-ordered aspect of the universe. The universe can therefore be seen as part of the cosmos.
Conclusion
Even if both the universe and the cosmos can be seen as almost the same thing, they point at different things. Universe can be seen as existent matter including space, meanwhile, the differs includes abstract things such as non-matter and interactive forces. The cosmos can be seen as everything that exists, but past and present, and will continue to exist. The universe was gotten from the Big Bang Theory that occurred billions of years back and was seen to contain billions of galaxies. The universe will increase and contract with time.
Cosmos
Universe
Swinburne University of Technology
https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/u/Universe
The term Universe refers to everything within the Cosmos – planets, stars, galaxies, light and even the vacuum between these entities.