Big Questions in Science series, (5 of 9). Class taught at AUC (University of Amsterdam) during the 2012-2013 fall semester.

1. Big Questions in Science

2. : moving clocks run slower
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3. Big Questions in Science, fall 2012. SdH, AUC 3

4. Big Bang theory:
• What it says
• Predictions and tests
• The first three minutes
• Brief history of the universe
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5. The Earth, as seen from theBig Questions in Science, fallregular planet. Not special at all!
Moon, looks like a 2012. SdH, AUC 5

6. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-21/shuttle-landing-marks-nasa-shift-to-commercial-space-efforts.html
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7. Big Questions in Science, fall 2012. SdH, AUC 8

8.  Manned missions to Moon, Mars
 Unmanned:
 Curiosity on Mars (August 2012)
 Juno will arrive Jupiter 2016
 Beyond Pluto
 Telescopes and Observatories
 Hubble Telescope (Endeavour)
 International Space Station
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9. Big Questions in Science, fall 2012. SdH, AUC 10

10. Big Questions in Science, fall 2012. SdH, AUC 11

11.  The universe began at a specific time in the
past, and it has been expanding ever since.
 Space itself expands:
 Raisin-bread analogy
 Expanding balloon
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12.  Universal expansion: Hubble’s Law
 Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB)
 Abundance of light elements
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13.  Mount Wilson telescope
 Hubble found distant
galaxies, measured distance.
 Redshift: colors were
shifted towards red.
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14. Hubble Space Telescope
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15. http://www.lon-capa.org/~mmp/applist/doppler/d.htm
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16.  Waves “pile up” in the direction of the
motion.
 Frequencies appear higher (shorter
wavelengths).
 Same effect for stars and galaxies.
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17. Big Questions in Science, fall 2012. SdH, AUC 18

18.  Method can be used to detect exoplanets
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19.  Edwin Hubble 1929
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20.  Universal expansion: Hubble’s Law
 Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB)
 Abundance of light elements
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21. Big Questions in Science, fall 2012. SdH, AUC 22

22. Penzias and Wilson, 1965
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23. Big Questions in Science, fall 2012. SdH, AUC 24

24.  Universal expansion: Hubble’s Law
 Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB)
 Abundance of light elements
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25. Big Questions in Science, fall 2012. SdH, AUC 26

26.  Stars consist mostly of hydrogen
http://www.chem.ufl.edu/~itl/2045/lectures/lec_1.html
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27. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cosmological_Composition_%E2%80%93_Pie_Chart.svg
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28. Big Questions in Science, fall 2012. SdH, AUC 29

29. Big Questions in Science, fall 2012. SdH, AUC 30
http://ut-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/crabnebulawallpaper.jpg

30.  Universal expansion: Hubble’s Law
 Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB)
 Abundance of light elements
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31. Key concepts at each scale:
• Time and space
• Density
• Temperature
• Complexity
• Radiation vs. matter
• Forces
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32. A Brief Cosmic History
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33.  Gravity
 Electromagnetic
 Weak nuclear
 Strong nuclear
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34. http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Graphical-timeline-from-Big-Bang-to-Heat-Death
http://russherman.com/Talks/FirstThreeMinutes_CollegeDay.pdf
The First Three Minutes
Matter Era
Ratiation Era
Mix protons, neutrons, electrons
and their anti-particles.
Production and annihilation in balance.
Number proton anti-proton pairs
same as photons, same baryons and
anti-baryons, small excess 1 in .
Quarks too energetic to bind
W, Z indistinguishable
from photons
Plasma: Electron excess equals proton excess (charge neutrality).
Photons scatter off electrons, matter and radiation are a single fluid,
radiation provides pressure. 4000 K hydrogen forms, deuterium and
helium. Helium abundance of 25 % as observed.
Universe grows factor of between
and s from cm to 10 m
Explains smoothness.
Radiation and leptons. Muon-antimuon pairs annihilate,
protons and neutrons transmute via weak interactions.
Temperature below rest energy of the proton; proton anti-proton pairs annihilate.
Only small primordial excess of protons remains.
Hot soup
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35. http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/060713/darkmatter.shtml
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36. Big Questions in Science, fall 2012. SdH, AUC 37

37. Big Questions in Science, fall 2012. SdH, AUC 38

38. http://mossdreams.blogspot.com/2011/01/endless-doppelgangers-in-multiverse.html http://journalofcosmology.com/Multiverse9.html
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39.  Physics and religion two separate modes of
enquiry.
 Physics aims at mathematical explanation of the
mechanisms. Realm of observation.
 Religion looks for meaning and causes on a different
level.
 Generically no logical contradictions possible.
There may be overlaps.
 Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Marx: “Every traditionally raised
Jewish child knows (…) that the Bible is not a a a
a scientific book.”
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