I'm a bit rusty on all this stuff. From Dark energy (wikipedia):

The "cosmological constant" is a constant term that can be added to Einstein's field equation of general relativity. If considered as a "source term" in the field equation, it can be viewed as equivalent to the mass of empty space (which conceptually could be either positive or negative), or "vacuum energy".

The simplest explanation for dark energy is that it is an intrinsic, fundamental energy of space. This is the cosmological constant, usually represented by the Greek letter Λ (Lambda, hence Lambda-CDM model). Since energy and mass are related according to the equation E = mc2, Einstein's theory of general relativity predicts that this energy will have a gravitational effect. It is sometimes called a vacuum energy because it is the energy density of empty space - the vacuum.

There is a minor problem with this though: the discrepancy between theoretical calculation and observed value is 120 orders of magnitude!!! ... making it a leading candidate for "the largest discrepancy between theory and experiment in all of science". :)

On a more positive note, the precision of narrowing down the Age of the universe (via the Lambda-CDM model) to 13.772±0.040 billion years blows my mind.

In reply to Re^8: Organizational Culture (Part VII): Science by eyepopslikeamosquito
in thread Organizational Culture (Part VII): Science by eyepopslikeamosquito

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