Unit 6 The Big Bang

Scientists suggest that the universe is still expanding. Which statement supports the claim made by the scientists?

• The universe is 13.7 billion years old.

• The galaxies in the universe are composed of dark matter. 

• The universe originated from a hot, dense point.

• The galaxies in the universe are moving away from Earth at high speeds.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-2

A student creates a model by placing raisins in bread dough and allowing the dough to rise for several hours. The student sketches the model before and after the dough rises.

The student claims that the model accurately describes the motion of the galaxies in the universe. What evidence from the model supports the student's claim?

• As the dough rises, the size of the raisins increases, resembling the expansion of the  galaxies.

• As the dough rises, the distance between the raisins decreases, indicating that the galaxies will collide.

• As the dough rises, the size of the raisins decreases, resembling the emission of light from stars.

• As the dough rises, the distance between the raisins increases, indicating that the galaxies are moving apart.

The diagram shows two readings of the spectral lines emitted from the same star in a galaxy.

Based on the diagram, students list claims and details in a table, as shown.

Which claim is correct, and why?

• Claim 1; spectral lines can be obtained only from the stars that emit light towards the red end of the spectrum.

• Claim 2; large galaxies only produce light that shows spectral lines towards the red end of the spectrum.

• Claim 3; galaxies move apart as the universe expands, which shifts the light towards the red end of the spectrum.

• Claim 4; the wavelengths of light emitted from cool surfaces are long, which shifts the light towards the red end of the spectrum.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-2

A student reads a list of several measurements.

Which measurements are used as evidence of the age of the universe?

• 1 and 2

• 2 and 3

• 1, 2, and 3

• 1, 2, and 4

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-2

Stars in the universe vary in size, luminosity, and temperature. The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram helps astronomers categorize the stars.

Which type of stars are the hottest and dimmest?

• blue giants

• red giants

• red supergiants

• white dwarf

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-3

A student makes a model of the universe using cubes and rods, as shown.

How should the student change the model to show the expansion of the universe?

• Increase the sizes of the cubes, and decrease the lengths of the rods.

• Decrease the sizes of the cubes, and decrease the lengths of the rods.

• Increase the lengths of the rods, and leave the sizes of the cubes the same.

• Increase the sizes of the cubes, and leave the lengths of the rods the same.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-2

The graph shows the velocities and distances from Earth for several galaxies in the universe.

What can be concluded from the graph?

• The closer the galaxy, the faster it moves toward Earth.

• The closer the galaxy, the slower it moves toward Earth.

• The farther the galaxy, the faster it moves away from Earth.

• The farther the galaxy, the slower it moves away from Earth.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-2

The diagram shows the spectral lines for a galaxy.

Based on the diagram, a student claims that the universe is expanding. Which statement correctly analyzes the claim? 

• The claim is correct because the spectral lines shift to the red end of the spectrum when a galaxy spins faster.

• The claim is incorrect because the spectral lines in the red end of the spectrum are obtained only from red giant stars in a galaxy.

• The claim is incorrect because the spectral lines in the red end of the spectrum are obtained when the light from a galaxy passes through a nebula.

• The claim is correct because the spectral lines shift to the red end of the spectrum when a galaxy moves away.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-2

A scientist studies the light from a distant galaxy. The light from the galaxy shows a shift to longer wavelengths.

What can the scientist conclude about the galaxy?

• The galaxy is orbiting faster than the Milky Way.

• The galaxy is moving closer to Earth.

• The galaxy is stationary in the universe.

• The galaxy is moving farther away from Earth.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-2

In the early 1900s, scientists discovered that certain properties of light were changed depending on the distance between Earth and the object being observed. In 1929, Edwin Hubble compared this phenomenon to the relative distances between a certain set of stars. Hubble found that when the two sets of data were graphed against one another, each star appeared to be farther from one another than what the relative distance indicated. With this information, Hubble concluded the universe is expanding.

What phenomenon was discovered by early astronomers and used by Hubble to confirm that the universe is expanding?

• The light emitted by the galaxies becomes brighter as they move away from one another.

• The light emitted by the galaxies becomes whiter as they move away from one another.

• The wavelength of the light emitted by the galaxies shifts to the blue region of the spectrum as the galaxies move away from one another.

• The wavelength of the light emitted by the galaxies shifts to the red region of the spectrum as the galaxies move away from one another.