Cosmology Knowledge Survey

Question 1: Is the Universe infinite? Explain your thinking for your answer

Question 2: Does the Universe have an edge? Explain your thinking for your answer

Question 3: Two ideas about the size and scale of the Universe is that it is infinite (goes on without any limit or an edge), or finite (has an edge). Can you think of an example of something that is finite (limited) but unbound (has no boundary)? Explain why you think your example explains this.

Question 4: Explain your thinking in your own words, what is meant by the statement: “The Universe is expanding on a large scale”

Question 5: Explain your thinking in your own words, what is meant by the statement: “The Universe, on a large scale, is the same at all locations and the same in all directions.”

Question 6: It is predicted that the Andromeda Galaxy and our own Milky Way Galaxy are on a collision course. How can this be the case if the Universe is said to be expanding? Explain your thinking for your answer

Question 7: Despite there being hundreds of billions of stars in our Galaxy, why is the night sky dark? Explain your thinking

Question 8: Which of the below is larger:
a) The average distance between stars divided by the diameter of an average star
b) The average distance between galaxies divided by the diameter of an average galaxy
c) The average distance between galaxy clusters divided by the diameter of an average cluster
Explain your reasoning for selecting that particular answer in the above question
Question 9: In relation to the centre of the Universe, where are we located? Explain your thinking

Question 10: An astronomer in a distant galaxy observes and measures the velocities of many galaxies, what will the astronomer observe?
a) That the movement of galaxies is quite random
b) That galaxies are moving away at mostly the same speed
c) That the distant galaxies are moving faster than the closer galaxies
d) That galaxies’ speed depends mainly on their size and colour
Explain your reasoning for selecting that particular answer in the above question

Question 11: How would you describe our location relative to the Sun? Explain your thinking

Question 12: How would you describe our location relative to the centre of our galaxy The Milky Way? Explain your thinking

Question 13: How can astronomers determine our location in the Milky Way galaxy? Explain your thinking

Question 14: How can scientists determine the approximate age of the Universe based on observations of the speed of many galaxies? Explain your thinking
Question 15: What was created in the early stages of the Universe’s evolution? Explain why you think so

Question 16: In terms of percentage, what makes up the majority of the Universe?
a) Empty space
b) Fundamental particles
c) Dark Matter
d) Dark Energy
e) Atoms and molecules
f) Hydrogen
g) Protons and electrons

Question 17: What is Dark Energy? How do we know about it?

Question 18: What is Dark Matter? How do we know about it?

Question 19: What are the ways that the chemical elements in the Universe form? Explain your thinking

Question 20: How has the temperature of the Universe changed over its lifetime?
a) It has increased/become warmer
b) It has decreased/become colder
c) It has not changed/remained the same
d) I do not know
Explain your reasoning why you think this is so
Question 21: What is the approximate age of the Universe?
a) Less than 100 thousand years
b) 1-100 million years
c) 100 million – 1 billion years
d) Tens of billions of years
e) More than 100 billion years
Explain your reasoning for selecting that particular answer in the above question

Question 22: What are the key stages in the evolution of the Universe? Explain your thinking

Question 23: In the context of astronomy, what is the Big Bang Theory? Explain your thinking

Question 24: What evidence is used in support of the Big Bang Theory? Explain your thinking

Question 25: What existed before the Big Bang? Explain your thinking

Question 26: What is the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation and what is its significance?

Question 27: The early universe is said to have gone through a period called the Dark Ages. What does this mean and how did it come to an end?

Question 28: Scientists say that the early universe went through a period of inflation. To what are they referring?