Shape and size of our universe: challenging the Standard Model of Cosmology

Abstract: The standard model of cosmology is based on the Friedmann equations, which are derived from Einstein's field equations of gravity for the Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) metric. The Minkowski spacetime (MST) metric, which can explain all aspects of special relativity (including time dilation, length contraction, and relative simultaneity), describes spacetime far from massive objects. This article contends that the currently accepted mathematical interpretation of the MST metric (as well as the FLRW metric) is incorrect, which has prevented cosmologists from deriving the correct shape and size of the universe. The temporal part of both metrics are identical, and either metric can be used to determine the shape and size of the universe if the mathematical interpretation is corrected. Our universe is like the 3D hypersurface of a 4D hypersphere. Taking the radial expansion velocity of the universe as c (as dictated by spacetime equations), and the age of the universe as 13.8 billion years, the value of the Hubble constant obtained using this model (71.002 km/s/Mpc) agrees well with the accepted values (69.8 and 74 km/s/Mpc calculated by two different methods). The MST metric and Hubble’s law both say the same thing, which demonstrates that the model presented is correct.