teachers guide

Cosmology 1
History of the Universe
Components
NAME DESCRIPTION AUDIENCE
History of the Universe This guide contains presentation notes and questions to teachers
promote discussion about the history of the Universe.
teachers guide

History of the Universe This presentation is designed to engage students in a students

conversation about the history of the Universe, including
presentation
the evolution of fundamental interactions and matter, and
formation of stars and galaxies.
Timeline of the Universe This timeline summarises the events cosmologists believe students
have occurred since the Big Bang.
fact sheet

Purpose Outcomes
To Engage students’ interest and provide Students:
information on the history of the Universe.
• describe and explain Big Bang theory and the
history of the Universe, and
• describe and explain the expansion of the
Universe.

Activity summary
ACTIVITY POSSIBLE STRATEGY
Teacher introduces the notion of how the Universe began by asking questions, such as: whole class, teacher-
directed questioning
• How did the Universe begin? Likely answers include ‘Big Bang’ or ‘an act of creation’.
• What happened after the Big Bang?
• Is there any evidence today that the Big Bang occurred?
Teacher explains that information in this presentation is the best explanation we have
of the history of the Universe, that is supported by scientific evidence.
Teacher shows slides 1–7, then pauses for students to discuss any questions about what small group
the Big Bang was, and what it wasn’t. discussion or whole
class sharing of ideas
Teacher shows slides 8–11 on the evolution of fundamental interactions. The
presentation could be stopped at this point to allow a discussion of interactions and
forces, such as how these fundamental interactions explain pushes and pulls, magnetic
attraction and electrostatic forces in everyday life.
Teacher shows slides 12–17 on the evolution of matter, including quarks, leptons,
hadrons, matter and anti-matter, through to the formation of deuterium and helium
nuclei, and eventually stable atoms of hydrogen and helium.
The presentation could be stopped at this point to allow a discussion of the evolution group activity
of matter, or to consolidate students’ understanding of the Standard Model of particle
physics.
Slides 18–22 describe the formation of stars, galaxies and Solar System, and briefly
touches on the synthesis of elements, from carbon to iron, by fusion of lighter
elements.
Teacher distributes the fact sheet, Timeline of the Universe.

ast0701 | Cosmology 1: History of the Universe (teachers guide) developed for the Department of Education WA
© The University of Western Australia 2011 for conditions of use see spice.wa.edu.au/usage
page 1 Licensed for NEALS
Information for teachers
The history of the Universe is the first of three presentations that enable students to explore and explain
cosmological concepts, discoveries and theories.
The presentation is designed to engage students in a conversation about aspects of the history of the Universe
and a discussion of the scientific evidence and theories that underpin modern cosmology. Presenters’ notes are
included to provide background information on likely discussion points or concepts where students may require
more information.
The presentation contains four main sections.

SECTION CONTENTS
What the Big Bang was, and what it wasn’t This section deals with some possible alternative conceptions of Big Bang
theory.
Fundamental interactions The fundamental interactions are gravity, the strong interaction,
electromagnetism and the weak interaction. See notes to slide 8 below
for some important distinctions between forces and interactions.
The evolution of matter Matter includes hadrons and leptons; matter and anti-matter; and the
formation of nuclei and stable atoms.
The formation of structures within the Universe Structures include stars, galaxies and the Solar System.

The fact sheet, Timeline of the Universe, summarises this presentation.

Note: Research into the timeline of events that followed the Big Bang reveals a range of responses that, while
generally supporting a consistent sequence of events, frequently differ in their timing — especially during the
first 10 seconds or so. This presentation draws together information from a number of sources into a similar
sequence to that presented in en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Big_Bang.
The following notes accompany the presentation, History of the Universe (notes are only provided for slides that
require additional information).

SLIDE NOTES
1 This presentation has been constructed using information drawn from a number of sources, the major source being
Universe 101 Big Bang Theory http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/. It is highly recommended reading for physics
teachers.
2 Cosmology is the scientific study of large-scale properties of the Universe as a whole. It endeavors to use the
scientific method to understand the origin, evolution and ultimate fate of the Universe. Like any field of science,
cosmology involves the formation of theories or hypotheses that make specific predictions for phenomena that can
be tested by observations. Depending on the outcome of such observations, theories may be abandoned, revised or
extended to accommodate data.
Image: The Milky Way arches across this 360-degree panorama of the night sky above the European Southern
Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile. To the right in the image, below the arc of the Milky Way, two of our
galactic neighbours can be seen: the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds.
Source: http:// commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:360-degree_Panorama_of_the_Southern_Sky_edit.jpg
3 Big Bang theory is a broadly accepted model for the origin and evolution of the Universe. It postulates around 12
to 14 billion years ago the portion of the Universe we can see today was compressed into a singularity only a few
millimetres across. The Universe has since expanded from this hot dense state into the vast and much cooler cosmos
we currently inhabit.
The best available measurements, as of 2011, suggest that the Big Bang occurred between 13.3 and 13.9 billion
years ago.
Big Bang theory doesn’t attempt to explain how the singularity came into existence, or what gave rise to the Big
Bang.
If students ask what happened before the Big Bang, the conventional answer is that there is no such thing as
‘before the Big Bang’. The Big Bang is the event that started everything, including time. But the right answer, says
physicist Sean Carroll, is “We just don’t know.”
Source: http://www.universetoday.com/15051/thinking-about-time-before-the-big-bang/
4 The Big Bang was the beginning of the Universe as we know it.
5 The Universe didn’t expand into anything, because there wasn’t anything for it to expand into. Everything,
including space itself, was created in the Big Bang. The Universe expanded because the space between the galaxies
expanded.
• To the galaxies, there is no centre from which expansion occurred. Expansion from a central point could only be
evident to an observer ‘outside the Universe’ (but we don’t know that there is such a place).
• Cosmologists believe that Dark Energy is causing the Universe to expand. This is discussed further in the SPICE
resource, Cosmology 3: The future of the Universe.

ast0701 | Cosmology 1: History of the Universe (teachers guide) developed for the Department of Education WA
© The University of Western Australia 2011 for conditions of use see spice.wa.edu.au/usage
page 2 Licensed for NEALS
 SLIDE NOTES
7 The Planck era (the first 10 −43 seconds after the Big Bang) is the earliest period in the history of the Universe during
which quantum effects of gravity were significant. Planck time (approximately 10 −43 s) is thought to be the shortest
interval of time that could be measured.
As of 2010, the shortest time interval measured directly was about 10 −17 s (about 1026 Planck times).
Research into the timeline of events that followed the Big Bang provides a range of responses, which while
generally supporting a consistent sequence of events, frequently differ in their timing — especially during the first
10 seconds or so. This presentation has drawn together information from a number of sources into the sequence
presented in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Big_Bang.
8 Any force you can think of, whether it’s friction, magnetism, gravity, or nuclear decay, is caused by one of the four
fundamental interactions: gravity, electromagnetism, the strong and the weak interactions.
• Gravity is an interaction that exists between all matter in the Universe.
• Electromagnetism determines how electrically charged particles interact with each other and with magnetic
fields.
• The strong interaction holds quarks together in protons and neutrons. Residual strong interactions hold the
nuclei of atoms together by overcoming electrostatic repulsion between protons.
• The weak interaction is responsible for radioactive decay of some nuclei by controlling the beta decay process in
which neutrons split into protons, electrons, and antineutrinos.
What is the difference between a force and an interaction?
• A force is the effect on a particle (attraction, repulsion) due to the presence of other particles.
• An interaction includes all forces that affect a particle, and any decays and annihilations that it may experience.
While some interactions give rise to conventional forces they don’t always do so. For example, the weak interaction
never gives rise to forces – it simply mediates nuclear decay. Similarly, the electromagnetic interaction sometimes is
responsible for phenomena that aren’t forces, such as when an electron and a positron annihilate to produce two
photons.
9 10 −43 seconds after the Big Bang, gravity separated from the unified interactions. Grand Unified Theory (GUT)
describes interactions between electromagnetism, the strong and the weak interactions.
10 The GUT era ended when the strong interaction separated from the electromagnetic and weak interactions,
10 −35 seconds after the Big Bang. Separation of the strong interaction set off a rapid expansion (inflation) of the
Universe.
Inflation theory was developed in the 1980s to explain how very distant parts of the Universe could once have
been in close contact. It proposes that the linear size of the Universe expanded by a factor of 1025 in a fraction of a
second. Inflation theory is considered to be an extension of Big Bang Theory.
11 10 −12 seconds after the Big Bang, the final separation occurred. The four fundamental interactions were now
distinct, as they remain to this day.
12 For further information on the Standard Model and sub-atomic particles, including hadrons, quarks, leptons,
neutrinos and a range of anti-particles, see the SPICE resource, Matter and relativity 1: Quarks.
15 The annihilation of an electron and a positron creates two gamma ray photons.
17 Some photons from this era are still evident in the Universe today in the form of cosmic microwave background
radiation (CMBR). For more information on CMBR, see the presentation in the SPICE resource, Cosmology 2:
Evidence for the Big Bang.

Technical requirements Image credits

The guide and fact sheet require Adobe Reader Presentation, History of the Universe
(version 5 or later), which is a free download from
• ‘360-degree Panorama of the Southern Sky’
www.adobe.com. The presentation is provided in
by European Southern Observatory. CC-BY-3.0,
two formats: Microsoft PowerPoint and Adobe PDF.
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:360-degree_
Panorama_of_the_Southern_Sky_edit.jpg
• ‘The spiral galaxy NGC 4414, imaged by the Hubble
Space Telescope’, NASA/ESA, en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/File:NGC_4414_%28NASA-med%29.jpg
• ‘The Solar System’ by NASA/JPL, solarsystem.nasa.
gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=10164
• Albert Einstein, photo by Ferdinand Schmutzer,
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Einstein1921_
by_F_Schmutzer_2.jpg

ast0701 | Cosmology 1: History of the Universe (teachers guide) developed for the Department of Education WA
© The University of Western Australia 2011 for conditions of use see spice.wa.edu.au/usage
page 3 Licensed for NEALS
Associated SPICE resources
Cosmology 1: History of the Universe may be used in conjunction with related SPICE resources to address
cosmological concepts within the broader topic of Unit 3BPHY: Particles, waves and quanta.

DESCRIPTION LEARNING PURPOSE

Cosmology (sequence overview)
This learning pathway shows how a number of SPICE resources can be combined to teach
the topic of cosmology.

Cosmology 1: History of the Universe Engage/Explain

This resource introduces students to Big Bang theory and events that have occurred since
that time to create the Universe we see today.
Cosmology 2: Evidence for the Big Bang Explore/Explain
This resource introduces major pieces of evidence that led to the development of Big
Bang theory, and discoveries that have since added further support to it.

Cosmology 3: Future of the Universe Explore/Explain

This resource introduces students to the principles by which scientists predict possible
scenarios for the future of the Universe.
Cosmology 4: Shifted light Explain
A video explains red and blue-shift of light, and how it is used in astronomy to measure
velocity and distance.

Acknowledgements SPICE resources and copyright

Thanks to Winthop Professor Ian McArthur and staff All SPICE resources are available from the Centre for
of the School of Physics at The University of Western Learning Technology at The University of Western
Australia. Australia (“UWA”). Selected SPICE resources are
available through the websites of Australian State and
Designed and developed by the Centre for Learning
Territory Education Authorities.
Technology, The University of Western Australia.
Production team: Graham Baker, Alwyn Evans, Dan Copyright of SPICE Resources belongs to The University
Hutton, Jenny Gull and Michael Wheatley, with thanks of Western Australia unless otherwise indicated.
to Bob Fitzpatrick, Pauline Charman and Wendy
Teachers and students at Australian schools are
Sanderson.
granted permission to reproduce, edit, recompile and
In preparing these SPICE resources, the resource include in derivative works the resources subject to
Cosmology: The Study of the Universe from the conditions detailed at spice.wa.edu.au/usage.
Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe has been used
All questions involving copyright and use should be
as a significant source. These materials can be found at
directed to SPICE at UWA.
http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/.
Web: spice.wa.edu.au
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (08) 6488 3917
Centre for Learning Technology (M016)
The University of Western Australia
35 Stirling Highway
Crawley WA 6009

ast0701 | Cosmology 1: History of the Universe (teachers guide) developed for the Department of Education WA
© The University of Western Australia 2011 for conditions of use see spice.wa.edu.au/usage
page 4 Licensed for NEALS