1. The Big Bang
Textbook Pages 18-19, 22, 320, 324, 408, 452, 516

2. Hubble’s Law
Doppler shift of light allows us to tell if object is coming towards us or away from us
Moving away = shift to red, wavelength appears longer
Moving towards us = shift to blue, wavelength appears shorter
Hubble discovered greater red shift of objects further away
The further an object, the faster it is moving away from us
Debate began: Steady State versus Big Bang

3. The Big Bang Theory Best theory to explain the origins of the universe
13.7 billion years ago entire universe was a single point
Giant explosion created the universe
Everything has been expanding since then
What evidence is there to support this theory?

4. Cosmic Microwave background
Recombination era = million years after the big bang
Cold and dark, stars hadn’t formed yet
Space was very transparent to photons
Scientists predicted there would be a residual glow from this era
Temperature of residual glow = 3-5 Kelvin
Glow would emit in the microwave range

6. Horn Antenna at Bell Labs in Holmdel, NJ

7. Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson find proof of big bang

8. Discovery of Cosmic Microwave Background
Detected using the Antenna Horn at Bell Labs in Holdel, NJ
Scientists who detected it were Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson
They won the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physics
Provided proof of the Big Bang Theory
Disproved the Steady State Theory

9. That explains how the universe may have began, but…
How will it end???

10. How will the universe end??
How will our solar system end?
How will the Earth end?
These are questions that we have pondered for many centuries
Many possible theories exist!

11. Research Assignment/Argument
Using the textbook, go to the table of contents. You will see that the last several pages of the book explain the possible theories answering the questions from the previous slide: “how will the solar system/universe/everything end?”
Look up one of these theories that seems most plausible or just plain interesting to you and read up on it.
Create a presentation to convince the rest of the class that this is the way that it will happen.
You must create something the class can see to present your argument, (poster, diagram, handouts, computer presentation, etc.)
You will be graded on your ability to effectively present your theory in a way that teaches the rest of the class the specifics of what will occur