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Hubble's Law states that the universe is expanding - Scottish Highers Physics - Question 5 - 2018

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Hubble's Law states that the universe is expanding. The expanding universe is one piece of evidence that supports the Big Bang theory. (a) State one other piece of ... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:Hubble's Law states that the universe is expanding - Scottish Highers Physics - Question 5 - 2018

Step 1

a) State one other piece of evidence that supports the Big Bang theory.

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Answer

One piece of evidence that supports the Big Bang theory is the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR), which is the afterglow radiation from the Big Bang.

Step 2

b)(i) Calculate the age of the universe, in years, obtained when using the student's value for the Hubble constant.

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Answer

To calculate the age of the universe using the Hubble constant, we use the formula:

age of universe=1H0\text{age of universe} = \frac{1}{H_0}

Substituting the student’s value for the Hubble constant:

H0=2.0×10−5 s−1H_0 = 2.0 \times 10^{-5} \, s^{-1}

Now, converting this into years:

age of universe=12.0×10−5]\text{age of universe} = \frac{1}{2.0 \times 10^{-5}]}

Calculating gives:

age of universe=5.0×1010 seconds\text{age of universe} = 5.0 \times 10^{10} \, \text{seconds}

To convert seconds into years:

1 year≈3.15×107 seconds1 \, \text{year} \approx 3.15 \times 10^7 \, \text{seconds}

Thus:

age of universe≈5.0×10103.15×107≈1585 years\text{age of universe} \approx \frac{5.0 \times 10^{10}}{3.15 \times 10^7} \approx 1585 \, \text{years}

Step 3

b)(ii)(A) State why the value obtained in (b)(i) is different from the current estimate for the age of the universe.

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Answer

The value obtained in (b)(i) is different from the current estimate for the age of the universe because the student's calculation likely used older data that may not account for the latest measurements and corrections related to cosmic expansion and the dynamics of the universe.

Step 4

b)(ii)(B) Suggest a change that the student could make to their graph to obtain a value closer to the current estimate for the age of the universe.

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Answer

The student could update their graph with the latest data points that reflect more recent measurements of cosmic distances and velocities, or they could adjust the line of best fit to more accurately represent the relationship between distance and recessional velocity based on the new data.

Step 5

c) State what physicists think is responsible for the increase in the rate of expansion of the universe.

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Answer

Physicists believe that dark energy is responsible for the increase in the rate of expansion of the universe. Dark energy is a mysterious form of energy that permeates space and accelerates the expansion of the universe.

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