Why is the age of the universe sometimes stated as 1/(Hubble's constant)?

Because this gives a convenient upper limit assuming the expansion has been constant since the Big Bang. Since any self-gravitating matter or energy causes deceleration, this constant-expansion solution is not really a physical one except in really old universes where their age is so long that the difference between 1/H and say 2/3 1/H becomes small compared to the current age.


Copyright 1997 Dr. Sten Odenwald
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