The Big Bang Flashcards

All 6 cards in this deck

What does the Big Bang theory suggest about how the universe began?

The universe began from a very small region that was extremely hot and dense.

How does red-shift evidence support the Big Bang theory?

The furthest galaxies are moving away the fastest, which suggests that at some time all the galaxies/matter started at the same point.

What do observations of supernovae made since 1998 suggest about distant galaxies?

That distant galaxies are receding (moving away) ever faster — the expansion is accelerating.

Give the reason why scientists sometimes have to change their theories about the universe.

There are new observations or evidence that do not fit the current theory or model.

How do scientists arrive at a theory such as the Big Bang theory?

They make observations (e.g. the red-shift of galaxies) and develop a model that explains them, then test it against further observations.

True or false? Red-shift of galaxies in every direction shows that the Earth is at the centre of the universe.

False. It shows that space itself is expanding everywhere, so all galaxies move apart from each other.