Geometry and Mass

Determining the geometry of the Universe is the same as determining the total amount of mass that it contains. In general relativity geometry and gravity are the same thing, and mass is the source of the gravitational field. Thus, we don't yet know the geometry of the Universe because we are not certain about the total mass of the Universe. This is tied intimately to the dark matter problem since most of the matter of the Universe appears to reside in dark matter.