Deck 26: Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

Question 1

The cosmological redshift is a direct measure of the expansion of the universe,thus independent of direction.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The universe has been expanding at the same rate since its formation.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The Big Bang was an expansion of matter into empty space.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The open universe would be geometrically flat.

Question 5

All the known matter,both normal and dark,only gives us an Ωₒ of about .3.

Question 6

A critically bound universe is geometrically flat.

Question 7

An infinite universe is one of the assumptions of the cosmological principle.

Question 8

The low density universe is an open one,with expansion continuing forever.

Question 9

Einstein's cosmological constant is a leading candidate for the "dark energy."

Question 10

If the density of the universe is at the critical density,then the geometry of the universe would follow ordinary Euclidean geometry.

Question 11

The fate or future of the universe depends only on the total number of galaxies and quasars.

Question 12

A bound universe will ultimately end in a "cold death."

Question 13

If the Hubble Constant is 70 km/sec/Mpc,the accelerating universe is about 10 billion years old.

Question 14

If the universe has a density greater than Ωₒ = 1,it is considered high density.

Question 15

The open universe would require Ωₒ be less than zero.

Question 16

Olber's Paradox is solved in part by the fact that the universe is neither infinitely large nor infinitely old.

Question 17

The Hubble constant divided into the number one gives a rough estimate for the age of the universe,or the "Hubble Time."

Question 18

Currently we think the matter accounts for only about 27% of the cosmos,with dark energy making up the rest.

Question 19

The cosmological redshift is actually not a velocity at all,but a measure of the expansion of space-time.

Question 20

The closed universe would give the cosmos a spherical geometry in space-time.

Question 21

The presently accepted value of the Hubble constant gives an age of:

A) 4.5 billion years.
B) 8-9 billion years.
C) 14 billion years.
D) 18 billion years.
E) 22 billion years.

Question 22

In which of the following models will the universe stop expanding?

A) Open Universe
B) Closed Universe
C) Critical Density Universe
D) Steady State Universe
E) All have an ultimate collapse.

Question 23

The two different kinds of surveys that have given astronomers great insight into the structure and expanse of the universe are:

A) pie slice and pencil beam.
B) pie slice and redshift survey.
C) pencil beam and deep imaging.
D) pie slice and local surveys.
E) deep space survey and pencil beam.

Question 24

The concept that on the grandest of scales,the universe is similar in appearance everywhere is:

A) special relativity.
B) general relativity.
C) homogeneity.
D) isotropy.
E) universality.

Question 25

The center of the universe:

A) is the Milky Way.
B) is the Sun.
C) is Earth.
D) is where the Big Bang happened.
E) does not exist anywhere in space.

Question 26

The redshift of the galaxies is correctly interpreted as:

A) a Doppler shift due to the random motions of galaxies in space.
B) an aging of light as gravity weakens with time.
C) space itself is expanding with time, so the photons are stretched while they travel through space.
D) placing our Galaxy near the center of the Local Group.
E) the differences in temperatures and star formation in old and young galaxies.

Question 27

What is the meaning of a "closed" universe?

A) The universe is already collapsing back into another cycle.
B) The universe will someday stop expanding and begin collapsing inward.
C) The universe will slow down and stop expanding in an infinite amount of time.
D) The universe is in a steady state, with constant replacement of matter and energy.
E) The universe will expand forever.

Question 28

The sky is dark at night:

A) because the stars in the Milky Way are far away.
B) because the Sun is on the other side of Earth.
C) because there are far fewer stars on the night side of Earth.
D) because all the light from all the objects in the universe hasn't arrived here yet.
E) because the quasars are too far away from Earth for their light to have arrived here.

Question 29

While a variety of factors can produce redshifts in the spectrum,the one associated with the expansion of the universe is called:

A) universal.
B) cosmological.
C) olberian.
D) relativistic.
E) the Zeeman Effect.

Question 30

Homogeneity and isotropy,taken as assumptions regarding the structure and evolution of the universe,are known as:

A) Obler's Paradox.
B) Hubble's Law.
C) Wien's Law.
D) the Cosmological Principle.
E) the Grand Unified Theory.

Question 31

What do most scientists believe existed before the Big Bang?

A) nothing
B) the primeval fireball
C) a singularity
D) a black hole
E) everything was inside Earth

Question 32

From the 1970s to the present,the accepted value of H has almost doubled,so:

A) the age of the universe is twice as old as we originally believed.
B) the age of the Universe is half what we believed.
C) the Copernican principle is not valid beyond our solar system.
D) the ages of the oldest globular clusters are invalid.
E) the critical density must also be halved.

Question 33

What does Hubble's law imply about the history of the universe?

A) The universe must be infinitely old and huge.
B) The universe had a beginning and has expanded since, giving it a finite age.
C) The Milky Way lies exactly at the center of this expansion.
D) The redshifts will lengthen with time due to dark energy.
E) The redshifts will turn to blue shifts as universe contraction follows the expansion.

Question 34

The Hubble time is expressed as:

A) H × D.
B) D/v.
C) 1/H.
D) H × T.
E) the critical density/H.

Question 35

What is the Big Bang?

A) An enormous explosion that organized all matter in the universe.
B) The creation of matter and the universe.
C) The creation of the primeval fireball.
D) An explosion that spewed matter all over the universe.
E) The event that started the expansion of the universe.

Question 36

The cosmic microwave background is the total of all the radio emissions from all the galaxies and quasars in the universe.

Question 37

What was there just after the Big Bang?

A) nothing
B) the primeval fireball
C) a singularity
D) a black hole
E) everything was inside Earth

Question 38

Astronomers know the universe is expanding because:

A) everything is moving away from us.
B) all stars are moving away from us.
C) most galaxies are moving away from us.
D) galaxies farther away are moving away from us faster.
E) there is a cosmic microwave background.

Question 39

The concept that the direction of observation does not matter overall is:

A) relativity.
B) homogeneity.
C) universality.
D) isotropy.
E) geometry.

Question 40

In which of the following models will the universe stop expanding?

A) High Density Universe
B) Low Density Universe
C) Steady State Universe
D) Critical Density Universe
E) Euclidean Universe

Question 41

The critical evidence for cosmic acceleration in 1998 came from two teams of astronomers,both observing:

A) hypernovae.
B) gamma ray bursts.
C) type I supernovae.
D) type II supernovae.
E) ages of globular clusters.

Question 42

The ratio of the universe's actual density to the critical density is:

A) ρcᵣᵢtᵢcₐl.
B) π/ρ.
C) Ωₒ.
D) H/D.
E) 1/H.

Question 43

On the surface of a sphere the shortest distance between two points is:

A) an arc on a great circle.
B) a straight line.
C) a circle.
D) a triangle.
E) a curvy line.

Question 44

The expansion rate of the Universe is:

A) increasing.
B) decreasing.
C) constant.
D) different in different directions.
E) independent of time.

Question 45

If Ωₒ is less than one,then:

A) the universe is closed, and must recycle.
B) the universe will expand forever.
C) no matter could have existed.
D) only dark energy exists in the universe.
E) there is more matter than energy in the universe.

Question 46

In the closed universe model,the geometry of spacetime in two dimensions resembles the surface of a:

A) flat piece of paper.
B) saddle.
C) cylinder.
D) sphere.
E) pyramid.

Question 47

The universal accelerating force could NOT be considered:

A) antigravity.
B) Einstein's cosmological constant.
C) dark energy.
D) vacuum pressure.
E) dark matter.

Question 48

When considering whether the density of the universe is above or below the critical density,what needs to be included in the measurement of density?

A) ordinary matter
B) ordinary matter and dark matter
C) ordinary matter, neutrinos, gravity waves and electromagnetic energy
D) ordinary matter, dark matter and electromagnetic energy
E) ordinary matter, dark matter, neutrinos, gravity waves, electromagnetic energy and dark energy

Question 49

What is the meaning of a "closed" universe?

A) The universe will expand forever.
B) The universe will someday stop expanding and start to collapse.
C) The universe will stop expanding in an infinite amount of time.
D) The universe is in a steady-state.
E) The universe will disappear into a white hole in time.

Question 50

If the density of the universe is greater than critical,then:

A) there is more matter than energy.
B) the universe is closed, gravity wins, and will shrink to the Big Crunch.
C) the universe is flat, and Euclid is right.
D) the Universe will continue expanding forever.
E) the universe will end up as nothing but black holes.

Question 51

In the critical density universe now proposed,the ratio of dark energy to matter is about:

A) 1 to 100.
B) 1 to 1.
C) 3 to 1.
D) 10 to 1.
E) 1 to 5.

Question 52

In an open universe two parallel beams of light will:

A) remain parallel.
B) diverge.
C) converge.
D) circle back on themselves.
E) continue on forever.

Question 53

In a closed universe a beam of light will:

A) come back to where it originated.
B) continue on forever.
C) move on a circular path around its origin.
D) reflect off the edge of the universe and come back.
E) go on some strange path, never to return.

Question 54

If the density of the universe is greater than the critical density,this means that:

A) the universe is expanding at a rate equal to the escape speed of the universe.
B) the universe is expanding at a rate less than the escape speed of the universe.
C) the universe is expanding at a rate greater than the escape speed of the universe.
D) the universe is expanding at a rate equal to the speed of light.
E) the universe is expanding at a rate greater than the speed of light.

Question 55

The luminous matter in the universe accounts for what percent of the total mass of the universe?

A) less than 4%
B) about 23%
C) about 27%
D) about 73%
E) 100%

Question 56

If the density of the universe is lower than the critical density,this means that:

A) the universe is expanding at a rate equal to the escape speed of the universe.
B) the universe is expanding at a rate less than the escape speed of the universe.
C) the universe is expanding at a rate greater than the escape speed of the universe.
D) the universe is expanding at a rate equal to the speed of light.
E) the universe is expanding at a rate greater than the speed of light.

Question 57

If the presently accepted value of Ωₒ = 0.3 (excluding dark energy)is indeed correct,then the universe will:

A) expand forever.
B) expand to the critical size for the Steady State model, then become static.
C) stop expanding in about forty billion years, to collapse into the next cosmic cycle.
D) Two of the answers are correct.
E) All of the above are correct.

Question 58

According to the data from the microwave background radiation,at what speed and in what direction is Earth moving through the universe?

A) 380 km/s in the direction of Leo
B) 70 km/s in the direction of the Big Bang
C) 300,000 km/s in the direction of Polaris
D) 250 km/s in the direction of Vega
E) 600 km/s North

Question 59

In Robert Frost's classic poem,when he ends with "ice will suffice," the universe is:

A) closed.
B) critical density.
C) open.
D) Euclidean.
E) Relativistic.

Question 60

If the density of the universe is at the critical density,this means that:

A) the universe is expanding at a rate equal to the escape speed of the universe.
B) the universe is expanding at a rate less than the escape speed of the universe.
C) the universe is expanding at a rate greater than the escape speed of the universe.
D) the universe is expanding at a rate equal to the speed of light.
E) the universe is expanding at a rate greater than the speed of light.

Question 61

Recent work with type I supernovae at great distances suggests the universe may in fact be accelerating its expansion,a discovery attributed to a newly found:

A) repulsive charge on dark matter.
B) polarization and a universal spinning magnetic field.
C) dark energy.
D) magnetic field associated with antimatter.
E) mass determined for the neutrinos.

Question 62

________ is the concept that the universe looks the same in all directions.

Question 63

If the geometry of the universe can be shown to be Euclidean,then the density of the universe _________ the critical density.

Question 64

The Wilkinson Mapping Project gave:

A) Ωₒ = 1, but matter (dark and visible) is only 27% of this, the rest is dark energy.
B) a closed universe, where dark matter triumphs over dark energy.
C) an exact picture of the nature of dark energy.
D) us proof that 90% of matter is dark, only 10% normal.
E) the background cosmic temperature is 4.36 K.

Question 65

According to the microwave background radiation Earth is:

A) at the center of the universe.
B) near the location of the Big Bang.
C) in no special location in the universe.
D) in a part of the universe that is just like any other part.
E) moving at about 380 km/s toward Leo.

Question 66

When the microwave background radiation was emitted,about how big was the universe?

A) smaller than the head of a pin
B) 1/1,000,000 its current size
C) 1/100,000 its current size
D) 1/1,000 its currents size
E) 1/100 its current size

Question 67

In the critical universe now proposed,the ratio of matter/energy is about:

A) 50:50.
B) 27:73.
C) 75:25.
D) 10:90.
E) 95:5.

Question 68

________ is the concept that all large samples of the universe are alike in appearance anywhere in the universe.

Question 69

The cosmic microwave background is:

A) redshifted in the direction of Earth's motion.
B) redshifted in the direction of the Sun's motion.
C) redshifted in the direction of the center of the Milky Way.
D) blueshifted in the direction of Earth's motion.
E) blueshifted in the direction of the Virgo Cluster.

Question 70

What temperature has the Big Bang has cooled to by now?

A) About 3,000 K
B) 5,800 K
C) About 300 K
D) Just over 2.7K
E) 1.4 K

Question 71

The two teams involved in the discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation were at:

A) NRAO and Cal Tech.
B) JPL and the Hubble Space Institute.
C) Kitt Peak and the University of Arizona.
D) Bell Labs and Princeton.
E) Mt. Palomar and the VLA.

Question 72

The discovery of the cosmic microwave background was important because:

A) it established a firm center of the Universe.
B) it was experimental verification of a prediction from the Big Bang theory.
C) it proved that astronomy at radio wavelengths was possible.
D) its detection was a major advance in microwave testing.
E) it showed the universe must be closed, with more than the critical density here.

Question 73

The cosmological principle is the ultimate extension of the ________ principle; we are note at the center of the solar system,the galaxy,or the universe.

Question 74

According to the main sequence turn-off points of the oldest globular clusters,they are about:

A) 4.5 billion years old.
B) 6.8 billion years old.
C) 10 billion years old.
D) 12 billion years old.
E) 16 billion years old.

Question 75

Most astronomers agree to interpret ________ Law to mean that the present day universe is expanding.

Question 76

In our best current theory,the first quasars formed about:

A) 14.5 billion years ago.
B) 13 billion years ago.
C) 12 billion years ago.
D) 11 billion years ago.
E) 9 billion years ago.

Question 77

The photons from the microwave background have not interacted with matter since the universe was how old?

A) 4,000,000,000 years old
B) 4,000,000 years old
C) 400,000 years old
D) 4,000 years old
E) 4 seconds old

Question 78

A Hubble Constant of H = 70 km/sec/ Mpc suggests a maximum age for the universe of ________.

Question 79

________ Paradox asks "Why is the night sky dark?".

Question 80

With the exception of a few nearby objects,every galaxy in the universe is rapidly moving away from ours; therefore,________.