What physical quantity does the inverse of the Hubble Constant ($1/H_0$) provide an estimate for?
Answer
The time since the expansion began, providing a measurable age for the universe.
In the context of a linearly expanding universe described by Hubble's Law ($v = H_0 d$), the inverse of the Hubble Constant ($1/H_0$) carries a significant physical meaning related to time. If one assumes the rate of expansion has been constant (as approximated by the initial law), then $1/H_0$ yields an estimate of the time elapsed since the universe began expanding from an initial dense state. This calculation provided astronomers with the first quantitative, observationally based estimate for the age of the universe, thereby linking the measured motion directly to the universe's temporal evolution.
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