The Big Bang
The Big Bang
I.Activity
II.Analysis
III.Abstraction
Since the early part of the 1900s, one explanation of the origin and fate of the universe, the
Big Bang theory, has dominated the discussion. Proponents of the Big Bang maintain
that,between 13 billion and 15 billion years ago, all the matter and energy in the known
cosmos was crammed into a tiny, compact point. In fact, according to this theory, matter
and energy back then were the same thing, and it was impossible to distinguish one from
the other.
Adherents of the Big Bang believe that this small but incredibly dense point of primitive
matter/energy exploded. Within seconds the fireball ejected matter/energy at velocities
approaching the speed of light. At some later time—maybe seconds later, maybe years
later—energy and matter began to split apart and become separate entities. All of the
different elements in the universe today developed from what spewed out of this original
explosion.
Big Bang theorists claim that all of the galaxies, stars, and planets still retain the explosive
motion of the moment of creation and are moving away from each other at great speed.
This supposition came from an unusual finding about our neighboring galaxies. In 1929
astronomer Edwin Hubble, working at the Mount Wilson Observatory in California,
announced that all of the galaxies he had observed were receding from us, and from each
other, at speeds of up to several thousand miles per second.
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The Redshift
To clock the speeds of these galaxies, Hubble took advantage of the Doppler effect. This
phenomenon occurs when a source of waves, such as light or sound, is moving with respect
to an observer or listener. If the source of sound or light is moving toward you, you
perceive the waves as rising in frequency: sound becomes higher in pitch, whereas light
becomes shifted toward the blue end of the visible spectrum. If the source is moving away
from you, the waves drop in frequency: sound becomes lower in pitch, and light tends to
shift toward the red end of the spectrum. You may have noticed the Doppler effect when
you listen to an ambulance siren: the sound rises in pitch as the vehicle approaches, and
falls in pitch as the vehicle races away.
To examine the light from the galaxies, Hubble used a spectroscope, a device that analyzes
the different frequencies present in light. He discovered that the light from galaxies far off
in space was shifted down toward the red end of the spectrum. Where in the sky each
galaxy lay didn't matter—all were redshifted. Hubble explained this shift by concluding
that the galaxies were in motion, whizzing away from Earth. The greater the redshift,
Hubble assumed, the greater the galaxy's speed.
Some galaxies showed just a slight redshift. But light from others was shifted far past red
into the infrared, even down into microwaves. Fainter, more distant galaxies seemed to
have the greatest red shifts, meaning they were traveling fastest of all.
An Expanding Universe
So if all the galaxies are moving away from Earth, does that mean Earth is at the center of
the universe? The very vortex of the Big Bang? At first glance, it would seem so. But
astrophysicists use a clever analogy to explain why it isn't.
In 1965 two scientists made a blockbuster discovery that solidified the Big Bang theory.
Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson of Bell Telephone Laboratories detected faint microwave
radiation that came from all points of the sky. They and other physicists theorized that they
were seeing the afterglow from the Big Bang's explosion. Since the Big Bang affected the
entire universe at the same moment in time, the afterglow should permeate the entire
universe and could be detected no matter what direction you looked. This afterglow is
called the cosmic background radiation. Its wavelength and uniformity fit nicely with other
astronomers' mathematical calculations about the Big Bang.
IV. Application
Multiple Choice: In ¼ sheet of pad paper answer the given questions by giving the letter of
your correct answer.Write your answers in CAPITAL letters.
1.The theory that most likely correct about the origin of our universe is _____________________.
A.The Dynamic State C.The Big Crunch
B.The Steady State D.The Big Bang
2.Hubbles Observed that galaxies are?
A.Moving towards us C,Standing Still
BMoving away from us D.Expanding
3.Doppler Effect can be seen in?
A.Electromagnetic(light) waves C.Sound Waves
B,Water Waves D.All of Them
4.The Steady State Theory States that the Universe?
A.Started dense a Hot point C.The Universe is not Expanding
B.Always is,Always as,And always will be D.Moves in Cycle and Expanding
5.Hubble’s law states that galaxies moves away from us, they move?
A.They move erratically C.Slowly
B.Faster D.In Circles
KEY ANSWERS
1.D
2.B
3.D
4.B
5.B