Question

1. (8 pts) Answer each of the following questions:

(a) When did the Big Bang occur and what was the result?

(b) Is "string theory" a proven scientific theory? Why or why not?

(c) Where does the Strong Nuclear Force come into play?

(d) What is Cosmology?

2. (5 pts) If our Sun and solar system had formed at the same time as the very first stars in the universe, describe how and why our solar system would be different than the one we have today and the impact this would likely have had on the formation of life. (You will need to consider the state of the universe at the time of the formation of the first stars. The answer is not directly stated in the textbook.)

3. (8 pts) Provide an explanation for each of the following:

(a) What does the Drake Equation attempt to do?

(b) What determines the Habitable Zone of a solar system?

(c) Is an Organic Molecule a living entity? Why or why not?

(d) Why is the "Water Hole" the best region for communication across the cosmos?

(4 pts) State Hubble’s Law. Describe how it is used in astronomy.

Answer 1

a) The Big Bang occurs roughly around 13.8 billion years ago from the current period. After just our universe was born, and at that time, it was filled with protons, neutrons, electrons, antielectrons, photons, and neutrinos.

b) String theory is not a proven scientific theory because of it only based upon the hypothesis, and it exists only in terms of the mathematical equation. There is no such experimental model for the string theory that can explain it.

c) Strong Nuclear force work at a nuclear distance. It occurs inside the nucleus and this force created in the nucleus between nucleons by the exchanging of the particles called mesons.

d) Cosmology is a branch of Astronomy that involves the early universe and its evolution.