The Origin of the Universe

The equation E = mc² describes how energy and mass are interchangeable. What scientist is this equation associated with?
1. Albert Einstein
2. Isaac Newton
3. Edwin Hubble
4. Stephen Hawking
The speed of light is the time it takes for light to travel in one year. In numbers, and it is approximately
1. 300,000,000 metres per second
2. 300 metres per second
3. 300,000,000 kilometres per hour
4. 300,000,000 kilometres per second
Einstein's famous equation is E = mc². What do m and c stand for?
1. mass and speed of light
2. momentum and speed of sound
3. mass and speed of sound
4. momentum and speed of light
The average distance between the Earth and Mars is 225 million km. A giant explosion occurs on the surface of the planet facing Earth. How long will it take us to see this explosion from Earth?
1. 750 seconds
2. less than one second
3. 208 hours
4. More than 4 years.
The Sun is about 8 light minutes from Earth. In distance, how far away is the Sun from Earth?
1. 144 million kilometres
2. 144,000 million kilometres
3. 375,000 metres
4. 5 miles
When we see the Andromeda galaxy, we are seeing it as it was 2.3 million years ago.
Why?
1. It takes light that length of time to travel from Andromeda to Earth.
2. It is an ancient galaxy.
3. Light travels really slow in outer space.
4. Light travels faster than sound.
At their closest point, Earth and Mars are 2.5 light minutes apart. How long will it take Ground Control in NASA to send a message to an astronaut that has just landed on Mars' surface?
1. 2.5 minutes
2. 5 minutes
3. more than 10 minutes
4. less than 1 minute
Edwin Hubble's discoveries were so important that he had something named after him.
What was it?
1. The Hubble space telescope
2. The Hubble satellite
3. The Hubble bridge
4. The Hubble space orbiter
Which famous scientist discovered that the universe is expanding?
1. Edwin Hubble
2. Galileo Galilee
3. Michael Faraday
4. Fred Hoyle
Scientists now believe that at one time, everything existed at one point, which then expanded rapidly outwards to form the Universe as it is today. What is this theory called?
1. Big Bang Theory
2. Steady State Theory
3. Big Crunch Theory
4. The Theory of Relativity
Where did the Big Bang take place?
1. Everywhere
2. Nowhere
3. At the centre of our universe
4. At the centre of our solar system
The term big bang refers to
1. the origin of our universe
2. the ultimate fate of our universe
3. a supernova explosion
4. a TV show
The nearest star to Earth is
1. Sun
2. Pole Star
3. Proxima Centauri
4. Alpha Centauri
According to latest theories, the Big Bang happened
1. about 13.8 billion years ago
2. 4.5 billion years ago
3. 3 billion years ago
4. 3 million years ago
Our universe is made up of at least a
1. billion galaxies
2. million galaxies
3. million stars
4. hundred planets
Our Sun is just one of many millions of stars in a group of stars called a
1. galaxy
2. universe
3. solar system
4. cosmos
Which of the following are in the correct increasing order?
1. The Earth's orbit, the diameter of our galaxy, our universe
2. The diameter of our galaxy, our universe, the Earth's orbit
3. Our universe, the Earth's orbit, the diameter of our galaxy
4. The Earth's orbit, our universe, the diameter of our galaxy
How many galaxies are in the universe?
1. Hundreds of billions
2. One billion
3. One million
4. Ten, discovered so far
Light travels across the diameter of our Solar System in approximately
1. 8 hours
2. 8 minutes
3. 8 years
4. 80 seconds
How fast does light travel?
1. Around the Earth in a fraction of a second
2. Across Europe in 1 second
3. Across Australia in 1 second
4. From North to South Poles in 1 second
Our complete cosmic address is
1. Earth, Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy, Local Group, Virgo Supercluster.
2. Earth, Solar System, Andromeda Galaxy, Virgo Group, Local Supercluster.
3. Earth, Solar System, Virgo Galaxy, Local Group, Andromeda Supercluster.
4. Earth, Solar System, Virgo Galaxy, Virgo, Andromeda Supercluster.
Physicists Wilson and Penzias received the Nobel prize for their discovery of the
1. afterglow of the creation of the universe
2. Big Bang theory of the universe
3. relationship between energy and matter (E = mc²)
4. Theory on Relativity
Some scientists expect the expansion of the universe to slow down and do a reverse of the Big Bang. This is known as the
1. Big Crunch
2. Big Buck
3. Steady State Theory
4. Big Mac
Current evidence suggests that most of the mass of the universe is in the form of
1. dark matter
2. black holes
3. cosmic rays
4. nuclear radiation
Which one of the following does the Big Bang Theory imply?
1. The Universe started with a big explosion.
2. The Universe will end in a big explosion.
3. The Universe is very noisy.
4. The universe was created 1 million years ago.
What is the Universe?
1. Everything that exists
2. The Earth, Moon and our neighbouring planets
3. Everything in our solar system
4. Everything in our galaxy
A famous quote from the movie ALIEN is "In space no one can hear you scream".
Is this true, and if so, why?
1. It is true because sound needs a medium to travel through
2. It is not true
3. It is true because space is too cold for sound to travel through
4. False, because it is not a quote from the movie called ALIEN
If scientists discovered new evidence that the Big Bang Theory was totally wrong. What should they do?
1. Test the new evidence to make sure that it is reproducible
2. Have a party
3. Ignore the new evidence and continue believing the Big Bang Theory
4. Immediately change all books to state that the Big Bang Theory is incorrect.
Our galaxy is called
1. the Milky Way
2. Andromeda
3. Centaurus A
4. Triangulum
Which of the following lists gives the order of DECREASING sizes?
1. Universe, galaxies, stars, planets
2. Universe, galaxies, planets, stars
3. Galaxies, Universe, stars, planets
4. Galaxies, planets, stars, Universe
Our sun is a
1. star
2. galaxy
3. planet
4. solar system
The Milky Way is a
1. galaxy
2. star
3. planet
4. universe
Which one of the following is generally TRUE about the further a planet is from the Sun?
1. It gets more difficult to see with a telescope.
2. Its mass increases in size.
3. Its year gets shorter.
4. Its speed gets faster.
Where is the centre of the universe?
1. It has no centre
2. The Sun
3. The Earth
4. The Milky Way
When do scientists expect the universe to end?
1. In 50 billion years
2. In 8 billion years
3. In 700 million years
4. In 90 million years
The smallest galaxies are called __________ and the largest are called __________.
1. dwarf ellipticals, giant ellipticals
2. giant ellipticals, dwarf ellipticals
3. dwarf spirals, giant ellipticals
4. giant ellipticals, small spirals
The unit of length that astronomers use is the
1. light year
2. kilometre
3. mile
4. metre
What is a galaxy?
1. A collection of stars
2. A solar system
3. A collection of planets
4. A star and its surrounding planets and moons
Because light takes time to travel through space, we see objects as they were when the light was given out, not as they are now.
1. TRUE
2. FALSE
According to current theory, the Universe will stop expanding eventually.
1. FALSE
2. TRUE

The Origin of the Universe

Multiple Choice Quiz