[email protected]
New member
Which of the following does not provide strong evidence for the Big Bang theory?
A.observations of the cosmic microwave background
B.observations of the amount of hydrogen in the universe
C.observations of the ratio of helium to hydrogen in the universe
Which of the following does inflation help to explain?
A.the uniformity of the cosmic microwave background
B.the amount of helium in the universe
C.the temperature of the cosmic microwave background
Which of these pieces of evidence supports the idea that inflation really happened?
A.the enormous size of the observable universe
B.the large amount of dark matter that the universe contains
C.observations of the cosmic microwave background that indicate a flat geometry for the universe
Which forces have physicists shown to be the same force under conditions of very high temperature or energy, as confirmed by experiments in particle accelerators?
A.the strong and electromagnetic forces
B.gravity and the strong force
C.gravity and the weak force
D.the electromagnetic and weak forces
E.the strong and weak forces
Evidence that the cosmic background radiation really is the remnant of a Big Bang comes from predicting characteristics of remnant radiation from the Big Bang and comparing these predictions with observations. Four of the five statements below are real. Which one is fictitious?
A.The cosmic background radiation is expected to look essentially the same in all directions, and it does.
B.The cosmic background radiation is expected to have tiny temperature fluctuations at the level of about 1 part in 100,000. Such fluctuations were found in the COBE data.
C.The cosmic background radiation is expected to have a temperature just a few degrees above absolute zero, and its actual temperature turns out to be about 3 K (actually 2.7 K).
D.The cosmic background radiation is expected to contain spectral lines of hydrogen and helium, and it does.
E.The cosmic background radiation is expected to have a perfect thermal spectrum, and observations from the COBE spacecraft verify this prediction.
Lost in Spacetime. Just when you thought it was safe to take final exams . . . a vindictive multi-dimensional being reaches down (up? over? through?) to Earth and pulls you out of the universe. You are thrown back into the universe at a place of this being's choosing, and she permits you to leave only after you have identified your surroundings. You are subject to several tests.
Through a scientifically unexplainable miracle, you are able to survive in every one of the places you are tested. (Lest you become too comfortable, however, you certainly are able to feel any associated pain due to high temperature, pressure, gravity, etc.) In each case described below, identify your surroundings. In some cases, the surroundings described may exist only during eras of the universe (past or future) other than our own time; in those cases, you should identify both the place and the time where you are located.
You are in a place that is extremely hot and dense, making you feel quite sweaty and claustrophobic. You can't see far because your surroundings are opaque to light. Around you, nuclear fusion is converting carbon into oxygen and other elements. Where are you?
A.You are inside a nuclear power plant on Earth.
B.You are in the center of a star much smaller than the Sun.
C.You are in the early universe during the era of nucleosynthesis.
D.You are in the center of a star very much like our Sun.
E.You are in the center of a massive star near the end of its life.
A.observations of the cosmic microwave background
B.observations of the amount of hydrogen in the universe
C.observations of the ratio of helium to hydrogen in the universe
Which of the following does inflation help to explain?
A.the uniformity of the cosmic microwave background
B.the amount of helium in the universe
C.the temperature of the cosmic microwave background
Which of these pieces of evidence supports the idea that inflation really happened?
A.the enormous size of the observable universe
B.the large amount of dark matter that the universe contains
C.observations of the cosmic microwave background that indicate a flat geometry for the universe
Which forces have physicists shown to be the same force under conditions of very high temperature or energy, as confirmed by experiments in particle accelerators?
A.the strong and electromagnetic forces
B.gravity and the strong force
C.gravity and the weak force
D.the electromagnetic and weak forces
E.the strong and weak forces
Evidence that the cosmic background radiation really is the remnant of a Big Bang comes from predicting characteristics of remnant radiation from the Big Bang and comparing these predictions with observations. Four of the five statements below are real. Which one is fictitious?
A.The cosmic background radiation is expected to look essentially the same in all directions, and it does.
B.The cosmic background radiation is expected to have tiny temperature fluctuations at the level of about 1 part in 100,000. Such fluctuations were found in the COBE data.
C.The cosmic background radiation is expected to have a temperature just a few degrees above absolute zero, and its actual temperature turns out to be about 3 K (actually 2.7 K).
D.The cosmic background radiation is expected to contain spectral lines of hydrogen and helium, and it does.
E.The cosmic background radiation is expected to have a perfect thermal spectrum, and observations from the COBE spacecraft verify this prediction.
Lost in Spacetime. Just when you thought it was safe to take final exams . . . a vindictive multi-dimensional being reaches down (up? over? through?) to Earth and pulls you out of the universe. You are thrown back into the universe at a place of this being's choosing, and she permits you to leave only after you have identified your surroundings. You are subject to several tests.
Through a scientifically unexplainable miracle, you are able to survive in every one of the places you are tested. (Lest you become too comfortable, however, you certainly are able to feel any associated pain due to high temperature, pressure, gravity, etc.) In each case described below, identify your surroundings. In some cases, the surroundings described may exist only during eras of the universe (past or future) other than our own time; in those cases, you should identify both the place and the time where you are located.
You are in a place that is extremely hot and dense, making you feel quite sweaty and claustrophobic. You can't see far because your surroundings are opaque to light. Around you, nuclear fusion is converting carbon into oxygen and other elements. Where are you?
A.You are inside a nuclear power plant on Earth.
B.You are in the center of a star much smaller than the Sun.
C.You are in the early universe during the era of nucleosynthesis.
D.You are in the center of a star very much like our Sun.
E.You are in the center of a massive star near the end of its life.