Scale factor
The time-dependent quantity describing how distances in the universe grow with cosmic expansion.
At a glance
Key signals
0% cross fields · reaches 0 more
- Cosmology
- Explanation
- Examples
- Misconception
- Sourced relations
- Attribution
Dependencies
What this concept builds on and what it makes possible — derived from the atlas’s dependency, causal and structural relations, not from every related edge.
System context
Scale factoris part ofFriedmann equationsEstablished
It is the expanding quantity.
Mechanism: The Friedmann equations govern the scale factor — how much every distance has stretched with time.
Structural role & consequence
Interpreted from the current atlas graph — what the connections mean, not just how many there are.
Currently dark in the atlas: no verified source · no key date stored · 1 of 1 of its relations lack claim-level evidence.
atlas representation · Describes the current Thinking OS representation, not the state of the world.
Structural neighbourhood: 1 → 2 → 14 concepts reachable within 3 hops.
structural · Structural reach — being reachable is not the same as being understood.
All 1 of its relationships stay within its own discipline — a field-specific concept in the current atlas.
structural · Structural graph analysis — not a claim of importance, causation or history.
cross-field
1 within-field, 0 cross-field
Strengths & constraints
Constraints
- Evidence coverage currently thin in the atlas — few of its relationships carry claim-level evidence. atlas representation
- No dated history stored — the atlas records no key date for this concept. atlas representation
Conditions
- Read structurally — most of its relationships carry no external evidence yet, so claims here are graph-derived. structural
Seen through each discipline
How this concept sits in each of its fields — derived from its real connections in the graph, not asserted.
Through this lens it connects to Friedmann equations.
Formula
Source: Wikidata
Related ideas to explore
Concepts that look related but are not yet connected here — candidates for a connection to reason about, not established links.
- Connects 1 other ideas across 1 discipline.
- Most of its connections are of the “Kind & structure” kind.
Derived from the graph’s real structure — observations, not a score.
Sources
No primary source is attached to this concept yet. In a real deployment this would be required before publication.