The inflationary theory is a theoretical cosmological model that helps reconcile some perplexing inconsistencies in the big bang theory of creation.

Evidence for the big bang has been accumulating since 1927, when Edwin Powell Hubble discovered that galaxies were moving apart at high rates of speed. Background radiation, the remains of the big bang, was discovered by Arno Penzias and Robert W. Wilson (1936-) in 1964. While the big bang became the favored theory, it fell short with regard to three specific problems: the horizon problem, the smoothness problem and the flatness problem.

The horizon problem involves the uniformity of the universe. Looking out into space, the universe looks exactly the same anywhere we look; there is no difference in uniformity between distant regions. The big bang theory cannot explain why widely separated areas, with no ability to influence each other, evolved along the exact same lines without...