--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The infinite zero of a black hole-mass…" description: "\"“The infinite zero of a black hole-mass crammed into zero space, curving space infinitely-punches a hole in the smooth rubber sheet. The equations of g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/charles-seife-18021_black-hole_the-infinite-zero-of-a-black-hole-mass-c_3089256.jpg" --- # The infinite zero of a black hole-mass crammed into zero… ![“The infinite zero of a black hole-mass crammed into zero space, curving space infinitely-punches a hole in the smooth rubber sheet. The equations of general relativity cannot deal with the sharpness of zero. In a black hole, space and time are meaningless.” quote by Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/charles-seife-18021_black-hole_the-infinite-zero-of-a-black-hole-mass-c_3089256.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/charles-seife-18021_black-hole_the-infinite-zero-of-a-black-hole-mass-c_3089256.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/charles-seife-18021_black-hole_the-infinite-zero-of-a-black-hole-mass-c_3089256.jpg) > ““The infinite zero of a black hole-mass crammed into zero space, curving space infinitely-punches a hole in the smooth rubber sheet. The equations of general relativity cannot deal with the sharpness of zero. In a black hole, space and time are meaningless.”” [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A black hole compresses mass into a point where spacetime ceases to have meaning, exposing limits of current physics. **In simple terms:** Black holes crush matter into a point where space and time break down. Key Takeaway Accept that some phenomena exceed current theories. Themes physics cosmology limits of knowledge philosophy of science existential mystery Mood wonder awe curiosity Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - theoretical research - science education - philosophical contemplation Key Concepts singularity general relativity breakdown information paradox Questions to Reflect On - How do we study what our equations cannot describe? - What does “meaningless” imply for reality? A Different Perspective Our models fail at singularities, leaving gaps in understanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black hole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-hole/) [General relativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/general-relativity/) [Infinite Zero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinite-zero-4711106/) [Space and time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-and-time/) [Space Infinitely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-infinitely-3947565/) [Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory/) [Zero Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zero-space-3648027/) ## Related quotes > [Zero is powerful because it is infinity’s twin. They are equal and opposite, yin and yang. They are equally paradoxical and troubling. The biggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/zero-is-powerful-because-it-is-infinity-s-twin-they-are-equal-and/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“We have good reason to believe that space and time begin to merge into quantum mechanical uncertainty at distances this small; they must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/we-have-good-reason-to-believe-that-space-and-time-begin-to-merge/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) > [“Banishing zero also solves the infinity problems in general relativity. If you imagine a black hole as a string, no longer do objects fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/banishing-zero-also-solves-the-infinity-problems-in-general/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“Zero dwells at the juxtaposition of quantum mechanics and relativity; zero lives where the two theories meet, and zero causes the two theories to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/zero-dwells-at-the-juxtaposition-of-quantum-mechanics-and-relativity/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“Removing zero from the universe might seem like a drastic step, but strings are much more tractable than dots; by eliminating zero, string theory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/removing-zero-from-the-universe-might-seem-like-a-drastic-step-but/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“As mathematicians were uncovering the connection between zero and infinity, physicists began to encounter zeros in the natural world; zero crossed over from mathematics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/as-mathematicians-were-uncovering-the-connection-between-zero-and/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“The nature of the self is just like space: empty, infinitely empty, formless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/the-nature-of-the-self-is-just-like-space-empty-infinitely-empty/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [“Do you ever feel the void creepin’ closer, seeking to wrap you in an infinite zero, an all-encompassing nil shroud?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-thompson/do-you-ever-feel-the-void-creepin-closer-seeking-to-wrap-you-in-an/) [Jeremy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-thompson/) > [“The Greeks, meanwhile, explicitly rejected zero. Since their mathematical system was based on geometry, numbers had to represent space of one sort or another—length,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-anderson/the-greeks-meanwhile-explicitly-rejected-zero-since-their/) [Chris Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-anderson/) > [One who tries to please every one never reaches near to his targeted goal. He bewilders in zero space in search of success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/one-who-tries-to-please-every-one-never-reaches-near-to-his-targeted/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [“Well, I'm guessing hat in about two centuries or so, humans will discover zero space and make transponders. Whatever they are. But in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-applegate-2/well-i-m-guessing-hat-in-about-two-centuries-or-so-humans-will/) [K.A. Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-applegate-2/) > [“Rμv– 1/2 gμv R = 8πTμv The left side of the equation starts with the term Rμv, which is the Ricci tensor he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/r-v-1-2-g-v-r-8-t-v-the-left-side-of-the-equation-starts-with-the/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“In the early universe—when the universe was small enough to be governed by both general relativity and quantum theory—there were effectively four dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/in-the-early-universe-when-the-universe-was-small-enough-to-be/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“Albert Einstein was certainly the most important physicist of the twentieth century. Perhaps his greatest work was his discovery of general relativity, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/albert-einstein-was-certainly-the-most-important-physicist-of-the/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [We have to have a combination of general relativity that describes the warping of space and time, and quantum physics, which describes the uncertainties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/we-have-to-have-a-combination-of-general-relativity-that-describes/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) ## More by Charles Seife > [“A bad idea, a wrong piece of information, a digital brain-altering virus can spread at the speed of light through the internet and quickly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/a-bad-idea-a-wrong-piece-of-information-a-digital-brain-altering/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“The key to a black hole's strange properties is the way it curves space-time. A black hole takes up no space at all, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/the-key-to-a-black-hole-s-strange-properties-is-the-way-it-curves/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“In string theory, zero has been banished from the universe; there is no such thing as zero distance or zero time. This solves all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/in-string-theory-zero-has-been-banished-from-the-universe-there-is-no/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“Zero and infinity are eternally locked in a struggle to engulf all the numbers. Like a Manichaean nightmare, the two sit on opposite poles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/zero-and-infinity-are-eternally-locked-in-a-struggle-to-engulf-all/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“Skinnerian conditioning, crossed with social pressure, is now an ever-present invisible hand that tries to manipulate all of your actions on the internet. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/skinnerian-conditioning-crossed-with-social-pressure-is-now-an-ever/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“In 1933, the Indian Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar realized that the Pauli exclusion principle had only a limited ability to fight against the squeeze of gravity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/in-1933-the-indian-subrahmanyan-chandrasekhar-realized-that-the-pauli/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“We tend to shy away from data that challenges our assumptions, that erodes our preconceptions. Getting rid of our wrong ideas is a painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/we-tend-to-shy-away-from-data-that-challenges-our-assumptions-that/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“Banishing zero also solves the infinity problems in general relativity. If you imagine a black hole as a string, no longer do objects fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/banishing-zero-also-solves-the-infinity-problems-in-general/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“With news and data that is tailored to our prejudices, we deprive ourselves of true information. We wind up wallowing in our own false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/with-news-and-data-that-is-tailored-to-our-prejudices-we-deprive/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [ “Digital information has an unbelievably high R0 \[basic reproductive rate\], and this means that it's hard to stop once it emerges. It spreads from… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/digital-information-has-an-unbelievably-high-r0-basic-reproductive/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“Christianity initially rejected zero, but trade would soon demand it. The man who reintroduced zero to the West was Leonardo of Pisa. The son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/christianity-initially-rejected-zero-but-trade-would-soon-demand-it/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“Zero dwells at the juxtaposition of quantum mechanics and relativity; zero lives where the two theories meet, and zero causes the two theories to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/zero-dwells-at-the-juxtaposition-of-quantum-mechanics-and-relativity/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“Though the Casimir force-a mysterious, phantom force exerted by nothing at all-seems like science fiction, it exists. It is a tiny force and very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/though-the-casimir-force-a-mysterious-phantom-force-exerted-by/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“Bad information is a disease that attacks the brain. It messes with your head, making you do things that you shouldn't, causing you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/bad-information-is-a-disease-that-attacks-the-brain-it-messes-with/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“In the battle between Kronecker and Cantor, Cantor would ultimately prevail. Cantor's theory would show that Kronecker's precious integers-and even the rational numbers-were nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/in-the-battle-between-kronecker-and-cantor-cantor-would-ultimately/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) [Explore all 36 Charles Seife quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) ## More Black hole quotes > [“Our irises are galaxies; our pupils are black holes if we allow ourselves to bottle up everything inside us instead of allowing ourselves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaclyn-johnston/our-irises-are-galaxies-our-pupils-are-black-holes-if-we-allow/) [Jaclyn Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaclyn-johnston/) > [I hate studios. A studio is a black hole. I never use a studio to work. It's very artificial to go to a studio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-hate-studios-a-studio-is-a-black-hole-i-never-use-a-studio-to-work/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [I definitely have a different perspective on music in general. But once I actually have a guitar in my hands, I think I disappear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-orcutt/i-definitely-have-a-different-perspective-on-music-in-general-but/) [Bill Orcutt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-orcutt/) > [“Nothing will ever be enough to satisfy the black hole in our hearts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soman-chainani/nothing-will-ever-be-enough-to-satisfy-the-black-hole-in-our-hearts/) [Soman Chainani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soman-chainani/) > [“The sting of not having or not having enough bores a pain black hole that sucks all the other of life’s injuries into one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-powell-watts/the-sting-of-not-having-or-not-having-enough-bores-a-pain-black-hole/) [Stephanie Powell Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-powell-watts/) > [Supermassive black hole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muse/supermassive-black-hole/) [Muse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muse/) > [Science has revealed a universe that is vast, ancient, violent, strange, and beautiful, a universe of almost infinite variety and possibility one in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/science-has-revealed-a-universe-that-is-vast-ancient-violent-strange/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [The waves travel with the velocity of light and slightly squeeze and stretch space transverse to the direction of their motion. The first waves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/the-waves-travel-with-the-velocity-of-light-and-slightly-squeeze-and/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [“The bank man had been standing quietly by our picnic table, waiting to lock up the house. Around his waist he wore a live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-e-medford/the-bank-man-had-been-standing-quietly-by-our-picnic-table-waiting-to/) [C.E. Medford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-e-medford/) > [If space is a fabric, then of course fabrics can have ripples, which we have now seen directly. But fabrics can also rip. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/if-space-is-a-fabric-then-of-course-fabrics-can-have-ripples-which-we/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [It's hard for me to speculate about what motivates somebody like Stephen Hawking or Elon Musk to talk so extensively about AI. I'd have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oren-etzioni/it-s-hard-for-me-to-speculate-about-what-motivates-somebody-like/) [Oren Etzioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oren-etzioni/) > [“Garraty thought that memories were like a line drawn in the dirt. The further back you went the scuffier and harder to see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bachman/garraty-thought-that-memories-were-like-a-line-drawn-in-the-dirt-the/) [Richard Bachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bachman/) > [“It's not that I'm being shy. It's just that -- well, for one, I don't even remember the event. It's a blank: a white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mccarthy/it-s-not-that-i-m-being-shy-it-s-just-that-well-for-one-i-don-t-even/) [Tom McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mccarthy/) > [“Struggling transforms her captor into a Chinese finger trap. She’s suffocating. Sucking in air without relief. Her lungs expand. Contract. Expand. They fill with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-kreitzer/struggling-transforms-her-captor-into-a-chinese-finger-trap-she-s/) [Laura Kreitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-kreitzer/) > [“Fear is the bane of all creatures and bubbles inside all forming a rock of solidifying darkness, sucking all will power to act or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-irini-poretsis/fear-is-the-bane-of-all-creatures-and-bubbles-inside-all-forming-a/) [Isabella Irini Poretsis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-irini-poretsis/) [Browse all 503 Black hole quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-hole/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The infinite zero of a black hole-mass crammed into zero space, curving space infinitely-punches a hole in the smooth rubber sheet. The equations of general relativity cannot deal with the sharpness of zero. 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