Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 ii Paper 3 9A Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
Differentiate the Friedmann equationand use the cosmological perfect-fluid continuity equationAfter dividing by ,Since , eliminating the curvature term gives the Friedmann acceleration equation
If , integrating the inequality backward shows that reaches zero no later than . Thus and at a finite time in the past. If , the same argument forward in time makes and at a finite future time. The sign of distinguishes an expanding universe with a past Big Bang from a contracting universe ending in a Big Crunch. Hence a Friedmann universe obeying the strong energy condition cannot remain nonsingular for unlimited proper time in both directions.