Earth and Life Science

Grade 11/12 • Unit 1: The Origin of the Universe and the Solar System

LESSON 1.1
Big Bang Theory
Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Learning Competency 2

Learning Objectives 2

Warm-Up 2

Learn about It 4
Overview of the Big Bang Theory 4
Proponents of the Big Bang Theory 6
Georges Henri Joseph Edouard Lemaître 6
Edwin Powell Hubble 7
Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson 8
Drawbacks of the Big Bang Theory 9

Key Points 10

Check Your Understanding 10

Photo Credits 12

Bibliography 13
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Grade 11/12 • Unit 1: The Origin of the Universe and the Solar System

Lesson 1.1
Big Bang Theory

The vast universe showing several galaxies

Have you ever wondered how the universe began? Don’t worry. You are not alone. Most
people seek the answer to this question. The good thing is, scientists are working hard to
find accurate answers. There are various theories trying to explain the origin of the
universe. The most common is the big bang theory. How does the big bang theory explain
the origin of the universe?

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 1: The Origin of the Universe and the Solar System

Learning Competency
At the end of this lesson, the given enrichment competency should be met by
the students.
● Describe the historical development of theories that explain the origin of
the universe.

Learning Objectives
In this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
● Explain the origin of the universe according to the big bang theory.
● Identify different proponents who support the big bang theory.
● Enumerate the negative implications of the big bang theory.

Warm-Up -Activity on Friday, August 25,2023

Big Bang Balloon Activity

ruler or measuring tape

Procedure
1. Partially inflate the balloon. Use the clothespin to clip the end so that the air will not

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 1: The Origin of the Universe and the Solar System

escape.
2. Using a permanent marker, draw six widely spaced dots on the balloon. Label one
dot H, which indicates home and the other dots A to E.
3. As the balloon is curved, a string could be used first to measure the distance from H
to each dot. Then, use a ruler or measuring tape to measure the length of the string.
Record each distance on the initial measurement column in the table provided.
4. Remove the clothespin. Then, inflate the balloon again to make it bigger.
5. Observe what happens to the dots. Repeat step 3 but record the distances on the
Trial 1 column in the table provided.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 two more times. Record your measurements under the Trial 2
and 3 columns.

Data Table
Table 1.1.1. Distance between location points on the balloon

Distances (cm)
Location
H to A H to B H to C H to D H to E

Initial
measurement

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Guide Questions
1. As the balloon gets bigger, what happens to the distances from the H dot to the
other dots?
2. What dot(s) move(s) the farthest? Is it the dot near the H or the dot farther from H?
3. If the dots correspond to groups of stars and the balloons represent the universe,
how will you explain the concept of the expanding universe?

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 1: The Origin of the Universe and the Solar System

Learn about It

Overview of the Big Bang Theory

The big bang theory is a cosmological model explaining how the universe began. It
suggests that the universe started its expansion about 13.8 billion years ago based on the
latest calculations.

Question
How does the big bang theory explain the origin of the universe?

Some might think of the concept of the big bang as an explosion of something leading to
the creation of the universe. The idea of the big bang theory, however, is somewhat similar
to the bread-raisin model. The bread is compared with the universe, whereas the raisins are
the galaxies. As shown in Fig. 1, the raisin does not expand. It only moves apart as the
dough rises.

Fig. 1. The raisin-bread model of the expanding universe

The bread-raisin model is similar to the universe. As shown in Fig. 2, the galaxies,
represented by dots, are not expanding. Distances in relation to other galaxies just increase
due to the expanding universe.

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 1: The Origin of the Universe and the Solar System

Fig. 2. According to the big bang theory, matter dilutes as the universe expands.

Remember

The big bang theory suggests that the universe began as a “singularity.” This is a point in the
universe that is predicted to be in the core of a black hole with extremely high temperature
and density. The nature of the singularity is still a mystery to many scientists, but they have
stated that this singularity expands and cools constantly. The rate of expansion is almost
equal to the rate of cooling. The intense heat led to the formation of matter and antimatter
particles that were destroyed every time they collided with each other.

Question

Nucleosynthesis is the formation of elements, such as hydrogen and helium. The presence
of these elements led to the formation of stars and galaxies. The presence of the stars led to
the formation of other cosmic bodies such as planets, comets, and asteroids.

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 1: The Origin of the Universe and the Solar System

Fig. 3. Nucleosynthesis of helium

Proponents of the Big Bang Theory

There are different proponents who suggested an explanation of the expanding universe.
They are Georges Henri Joseph Edouard Lemaître, Edwin Powell Hubble, Arno Penzias, and
Robert Wilson.

Georges Henri Joseph Edouard Lemaître

Georges Henri Joseph Edouard Lemaître, a Belgian
priest, suggested the idea of the expanding universe. He
is considered the first proponent of the big bang theory.

In 1931, during the British Association meeting, he

explained that the universe originated in an explosive act
of a primeval atom or the “cosmic egg,” which was like a
huge atomic nucleus. The immense energy from the
explosion of this primeval atom was sufficient to initiate
the expansion of the universe. His theory, however, was
not recognized by most cosmologists as it was not
supported by empirical evidence at that time.

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 1: The Origin of the Universe and the Solar System

Lemaître thought that if the universe came from a hot state, it would leave traces that can
be subjected to analysis. He then realized that there were traces in the form of cosmic rays.
He explained that the cosmic rays were “ashes and smoke of bright but very rapid
fireworks,” and they originated when the primeval atom disintegrated. He first visualized
that the primeval atom would disintegrate into atomic stars. Then as the atomic stars
disintegrate, they would produce cosmic rays and become ordinary matter. Therefore,
cosmic rays were not the direct product of the primeval atoms but rather, of the early
formation of the stars 10 billion years ago.

In his publication, he stated that “Cosmic rays would be glimpses of the primeval fireworks
of the formation of a star from an atom, coming to us after their long journey through free
space.”

Edwin Powell Hubble

Edwin Powell Hubble was an American astronomer
who established Hubble’s law, which provided evidence
that the universe was not static but expanding. In 1923,
Hubble spotted what he thought was a flaring nova star
in the M31 nebula or the Andromeda constellation
using a Hooker telescope. The Andromeda constellation
is now known as the Andromeda galaxy, the nearest
galaxy in the Milky Way.

Hubble carefully studied the photographic plates

captured by other astronomers and realized that what
he saw was a Cepheid star, a star that pulsates radially,
brightening and dimming periodically. Hubble used this
radial pulse to measure the distance of the star from Earth. Based on his calculations, he
was able to postulate the existence of other galaxies. He noted that there was more to the
universe beyond the Milky Way.

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 1: The Origin of the Universe and the Solar System

Fig. 6. The Hooker telescope (left) and a Cepheid star (right).

He then began to classify other nebulae,

measuring their velocities based on their
emitted spectral lights. Then in 1929, he
noticed that all the galaxies seemed to be
moving away from Earth with velocities that
increased in proportion to their distance. This
means that the amount of redshift is
proportional to the distance of the galaxy (i.e.,
nearby galaxies have smaller redshifts than
distant galaxies). This relationship of the
velocities of distant objects in the universe in
proportion to their distance from Earth is called Hubble’s law. He published a report in the
same year about his discovery. This ultimately supported Lemaître’s proposal of the
expanding universe.

Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson

American astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson studied cosmic radiation in 1964.
They discovered that microwaves with wavelengths of about 7 centimeters were present in

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space. These waves were referred to as cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation.

Fig. 8. Arno Penzias (born 1933) Fig. 9. Robert Wilson (born 1941)

CMB radiation is believed to be the thermal energy released when the ionized gases
became neutral particles as the early universe cooled down. This radiation served as a
“leftover” when the universe was formed. The discovery of this cosmic radiation provided
strong evidence that the universe began from the sudden expansion of a singularity, which
supported Lemaître’s study.

Drawbacks of the Big Bang Theory

For critics, the big bang theory’s claim that the universe began to spring forth from nothing
is unwarranted based on two main reasons:
1) It fails to explain how the universe was created. It just explains how the universe
evolves and not where it originated. In addition, this theory also fails to explain how
the galaxies formed; and
2) The big bang theory violates the assumptions of the first law of thermodynamics, where
it is assumed that matter or energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Moreover,
other critics argue that the formation of galaxies and millions of stars in the universe
is against the assumptions of the law of entropy, where it is predicted that systems, like

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 1: The Origin of the Universe and the Solar System

the universe, tend to become less organized over time. The supporters of the big
bang theory, however, invalidate this claim by viewing the early universe like an
isotropic and homogeneous system, thus the current universe exhibits signs of being
disorganized that obey the law of entropy.

Points

● The big bang theory suggests that the universe started as a “singularity,” an area
predicted to be in the core of a black hole with very high temperature and density.
● There are different proponents who suggested an explanation of this expanding
universe. They are Georges Henri Joseph Edouard Lemaître, Edwin Powell Hubble,
Arno Penzias, and Robert Wilson.
● Hubble’s law states that the relationship of the velocities of distant objects in the
universe is directly proportional to their distance from Earth.
● The big bang theory fails to explain how the universe was created.

Note: Quiz on Thursday, August 24,2023

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