Universe - Origins Flashcards
1
Q
When and How did the Big Bang happen?
A
- The universe “sprang” into existence 13.7pm years ago from a singularity.
2
Q
Who is known as the Father of the Big Bang?
A
- Georges Lematire was a Belgian Cosmologist and a Catholic Priest and is known as the “Father of the Big Bang”
3
Q
What does the BBT attempt to answer?
A
- Attempts to answer what happened during and after the moment of the ‘bang’
4
Q
Was the Big Bang an explosion?
A
- No, it rapidly expands over time, and many people believe it still expands today.
5
Q
What are the evidence for the BBT?
A
- Cosmic Background Radiation
- Redshift Theory
- Relative Abundance of Elements
6
Q
What is Cosmic Background Radiation?
A
- When the universe began there was an unimaginable amount of heat. This was ‘microwave energy’.
- It is the cooled remnant of the first light that could ever travel freely throughout the universe.
- In 1965, this was found as astronomers Penzias and Wilson found this microwave energy.
- As time passes, we have been able to use multiple telescopes such as Planck to find this and make it clearer.
7
Q
What is the Redshift Theory?
A
- The spectrum of light coming from the galaxies seems to shift towards the end of the spectrum.
- This means that the light’s wavelength appears longer - this proves the objects are moving away from us and each other: the Big Bang is still expanding.
- Distant galaxies = redder as they’re moving away.
- This means the universe has to be expanding from somewhere - a ‘central’ point.
8
Q
What is Abundance of Elements?
A
- BBT proposes that all matter was formed as the universe expanded and cooled.
- It also suggests how much of each element would have been made, and when scientists looked old stars, they see lots of hydrogen helium proving the theory is correct.
9
Q
What are the strengths of the BBT?
A
- There is strong scientific evidence for these theories from a variety of sources, it also has been checked out by scientists for over 75 years since it’s been proposed.
- Offers an explanation to something which occurred without anyone there to observe it.
- Provides an answer to how did the universe came together with lots of proof.
10
Q
What is the weaknesses of the BBT?
A
- It is based on circumstantial evidence which is not as powerful as empirical evidence.
- Very complex - people may not understand it.
- Theory doesn’t offer explanations as to why we are here - no purpose for us?
11
Q
How old is Genesis 1?
A
- Around 3,500 years old.
12
Q
Christians believe God created the world in a process known as “creatio ex nihlo”. What does this mean?
A
- Christians believe that God created the universe “creatio ex nihlo” - created out of nothing
13
Q
What does Genesis 1 mainly focus on?
A
- The 7 Days of Creation
14
Q
What do the Literal Christians believe in terms of Genesis 1? (1)
A
- They believe every word in the account is true and infalliable, the Bible gives us facts about all things - including the origins of the universe.
- The 7 days of creation are 24 hour periods.
- The world was created 6,000-10,000 years ago.
15
Q
What do the Literal Christians believe in terms of Genesis 1? (2)
A
- If you don’t take the story literally, then you question the Bible’s authority + accuracy, then this would lead to the removal of God himself.
- If Genesis is not accurate - we lose our purpose as humans are no longer created in god’s image, we are just like any other species.
