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Chapter 1: Problem 8

What is the Big Bang, and when did it occur?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The Big Bang is the prevailing cosmological model of the universe's origin, which began as an extremely hot and dense singularity. This singularity rapidly expanded and cooled down, forming the structures we see today, such as galaxies, stars, and planets. The Big Bang occurred approximately 13.8 billion years ago, and since then, the Universe has been constantly expanding and evolving.

Step by step solution

01

Definition of the Big Bang

The Big Bang is the prevailing cosmological model of the universe's origin and development. It suggests that the Universe started as an extremely hot and dense point known as a singularity. Due to some unknown trigger, this singularity started to rapidly expand and cool down, forming the current Universe's structures, including galaxies, stars, and planets. In simpler terms, the Big Bang is the beginning of the Universe as we know it.
02

When did the Big Bang occur?

According to the latest estimations based on observational data and the expansion rate of the Universe, the Big Bang occurred approximately 13.8 billion years ago. The Universe has been constantly expanding and evolving since this event, giving rise to the diverse cosmic structures (galaxies, stars, and planets) and various forms of matter and energy seen today. So, the Big Bang refers to the beginning of the Universe, which started as a singularity, and occurred approximately 13.8 billion years ago. With time, the expansion and cooling of this initial state formed the current cosmic structures we observe in our Universe.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

What does the red shift of the galaxies tell us about their motion with respect to the Earth?

Where did heavier elements form?

The horizon is the line separating sky from the Earth's surface. Consider the shape of the Earth. How does the distance from your eyes to the horizon change as your elevation above the ground increases? To answer this question, draw a semicircle to represent part of the Earth's surface; then draw a vertical tower up from the surface. With your ruler, draw a line from various elevations on the tower to where the line is tangent to the surface of the Earth. (A tangent is a line that touches a circle at one point and is perpendicular to a radius.)

Why do planets appear to move with respect to stars?

Consider that the deaths of stars eject quantities of heavier elements into space and that these elements then become incorporated in nebulae from which the next generation of stars forms. Do you think that the ratio of heavier to lighter elements in, say, a sixth-generation star is larger or smaller than the ratio in a second-generation star? Why?
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