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The Question
(Submitted March 28, 1997)
Given the latest value of the Hubble
constant at 60-65 Km/s/Mpc and assuming
a zero cosmological constant how do you
actually calculate the age of the
Universe ?
The Answer
Here is a short answer to a complicated problem.
One can estimate the age of the Universe from the
Hubble constant and the "deceleration parameter",
which in turn depends on the energy densities in
the Universe (usually expressed as Omega and
Lambda). The article at
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/newsletters/lpib/lpib77/black77.html
shows the variation in the age of the Universe with
H and Omega - see especially the discussion associated
with Figure 2.
Jim Lochner & Koji Mukai
for Imagine the Universe!
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