If the universe is constantly expanding, what is it expanding into?

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Basically the title – I have a degree in Aerospace Engineering, but I still can’t answer this question posed by my girlfriend. An infinitely expanding universe implies that there’s a “container” the universe is expanding into, kind of like how you can pour a pancake into a pan & it’ll expand to the limits of the pan. But then that also implies that said container existed before the universe / big bang, which is…wild. Anyway, please ELI5!

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Anonymous 0 Comments

It actually does not imply that. It’s perfectly valid to imagine a world in which space is expanding from the perspective of being in that world without the space having to expand “into” something. I mean, if everything was actually shrinking, thats equivalent. but speaking in terms of physics theory there does not need to be such a “container” If there did, wouldn’t that container need a container? most do not believe it is turtles all the way down

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