Big Bang, Black Holes, No Math ASTR/PHYS 109 Dr. David Toback Lectures 2,3 and 4

IntroductionTopic 2: Going Big

Big Bang, Black Holes, No Math

1


ASTR/PHYS 109Dr. David TobackLecture 2, 3 & 4



2

Prep For Today (is now due) – L2, Part 1

• Reading: – Required: BBBHNM: Chapter 1-4– Recommended Reading:

•BHOT: Chap. 1-3•SHU: Chap. 1-2•TOE: Chap. 1

• Pre-Lecture Reading Questions (PLRQ)– Read Instructions– 4 written questions following the

instructions. Don’t need to turn them in. Will talk today about how to turn them in

– No CPR stuff (other than the eCampus quizzes) yet



3

Prep For Today (is now due) – L2, Part 2

• eCampus Quizzes–Read eCampus Instructions–Complete Warm-up quizzes,

AMS, CPR and PLRQ quizzes• Other Prep:–Make sure you are receiving

email using the Official A&M email, will use it for class announcements

–Did you bring lined paper and your iClicker to class?



4

Prep For Today (is now due) – L3

• Reading (should already have been completed)– Required: BBBHNM: Chapter 1-4

• Pre-Lecture Reading Questions (PLRQ)– All 6 PLRQ quizzes in eCampus– 4 written questions to be turned into CPR

(due Monday) – Stage 1• End-of-Chapter Quizzes

– None (haven’t finished Chapter 2)• Papers

– None assigned– First one will be assigned when we do

Chapter 6



5


• Reading (should already have been completed)– Required: BBBHNM: Chapter 1-4

• Pre-Lecture Reading Questions (PLRQ)– All 6 PLRQ quizzes in eCampus– CPR Stage 1

• End-of-Chapter Quizzes– None (haven’t finished Chapter 2)

• Papers– None assigned– First one will be assigned when we do

Chapter 6



6

Two part, In-Class 5 Minute Quiz

1. Take out a sheet of paper and label it with

Your name, Email address and UINAnswer the following questions:

1. What do you most want to learn about in this class?

2. Are you taking ASTR/PHYS 119? Why or why not?

3. What was the prep work for today?4. Are you using 109 for your Tier-2

Science distribution credit?There are no right answers for the first two questions, so please be BRUTALLY honest

2. Take out your clicker and Choose “E”



Frequently Asked Question Page

• Can be found on the main course page

• http://faculty.physics.tamu.edu/toback/109/109FAQ.shtml

• In general, you should check there if you have a question about the course or assignments before emailing–Don’t want to highlight to your

professor you haven’t looked there first when you email7



Start with Reminders from

last time

8



Regular and Honors Sections

• Regular sections–ASTR 109-501–PHYS 109-501

• Honors sections–ASTR 109-200–PHYS 109-200

There is no difference between the Physics and Astronomy sections (All meet together)

Students in the honors section will have an extra research paper – See Course WebPage



Lab – ASTR/PHYS 119• You are not required to take the Lab

for this course• Useful if you want to use this course as

a Tier 2 science course, or just want to learn more/get more in-depth

• Two different sections, pick one– Tuesday: 12:45PM-2:45PM– Wednesday: 12:40PM-2:40PM

•Will meet this week•You need to read the lab Manual and do the prep work BEFORE lab10



In-Class QuizzesThere will frequently be in-class

quizzes• Most will be done with an iClicker–Can buy the old ones–Register with your UIN at

http://www.iclicker.com/support/registeryourclicker/ (we will be using eCampus)

• We will some times do written answers–Bring a sheet of lined paper and

a pen everyday11



Pre-Lecture Reading Questions

• It is important to learn how to ask good science questions, and to be well prepared for Lecture

• For these reasons we will have a number of PLRQ Assignments

• Will be turned in online– Will be doing a full Unit at a time– Each assignment has 2 stages (more on this

later)– Will us the Calibrated Peer Review (CPR)

system (more on this later also)• There is a set of guidelines on what we are

looking for on the websites, and practice quizzes online before we start– Pass = 100% for eCampus quizzes

• The first assignment in CPR, assigned today, will be Pass/Revise

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End-of-Chapter Quizzes in eCampus

• There are End-of-Chapter quizzes for each chapter–Helps ensure you have a good

knowledge of some of the important FACTS for each chapter

–Will be done online, using eCampus

–Are assigned AFTER we finish the chapter in lecture, and due before the next lecture

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End-of-Chapter Quizzes Cont.

Bad news:•To pass the course you need

to get a perfect score on all of them

Good news:•You can take as many

attempts as you want until you get a perfect score

• I will only count your best score

I REALLY want you to learn and get good grades!

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More on eCampus Quizzes• There are free warm-up quizzes before the End-of-

Chapter quizzes– Need a 100% on them (don’t worry… they are easy)

• There will be a course pre-test called AMS (Astronomy Misconception Survey) AFTER you finish the warm up– Please do your best. Won’t count as part of your

grade. We just want to know what you know coming into the course

• After these are done you will get a set of CPR and PRLQ quizzes– Instruction quizzes– Practice Quizzes

• When these are done you will be able to get to the End-of-Chapter Quizzes– First one is Chapter 2 (no chapter 1 quiz)– EOC quizzes due AFTER we finish the chapter in

lecture

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Requirements to Pass the Course

• Some things need to be turned in to pass the course– All the stages for each paper– All the End-Of-Chapter quizzes

• Some things MUST get a passing grade to pass the course– All End-Of-Chapter quizzes and Pre-Lecture

Reading Questions for Unit 1• Some things in the course are pass/fail the

first time, but are for a grade after that– Unit 1 PLRQ

•Note: you are allowed (but not encouraged) to get a zero on the later PLRQ assignments

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Just for Fun… • We have created a “just for fun” Facebook

account for students (past, present and future) who want to stay in touch with the course

• Learning about the Big Bang and Black Holes Without the Math

• It’s not part of the course, but I try to post fun, related things there periodically– If you send me something fun (and

appropriate) I’ll post it for everyone– If you send me something fun, but

inappropriate, I’ll say thank you and just enjoy privately

• Also, lots of fun stuff on http://people.physics.tamu.edu/toback/109/Video/

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First real assignment:

PRLQ for Unit 1 in Calibrated Peer

Review (CPR18



Pre-Lecture Reading Questions

•The full PLRQ Assignments will be done online using the Calibrated Peer Review (CPR) system–Will be doing a full Unit at a time

–Each assignment has 2 stages (more on in the next slide)

–The quizzes in eCampus have been about practicing before we go to the CPR system

19



Learning to Write and Critique

•Each CPR Assignment has two parts (Call them Stage 1 and Stage 2)1.You do your own writing and submit2.You review and grade other papers (and your

own)•Why? – Learn how to evaluate excellence and give

feedback (grade) papers to make them better

– Learn to better evaluate your own work to make it excellent BEFORE you turn it in

•Want you to get good at writing and evaluating before we get to the main paper assignments for this class

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The “I hate CPR Club”

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• Most students HATE CPR until they get good at it• Many reasons:

– Takes practice to get good at the system– Learning how to both be a good writer and be a good

editor is really difficult (and incredibly important) skill – Takes practice

– We require you follow the instructions– You need to learn the standards we will be using in

the class, not your own, personal standards• My advice: Don’t fight the system, blame it for being

“unfair”, or wish it were “better.” Just do what it takes to get good at it

• Don’t hesitate to ask for help• If you are grumbling and neither I nor the TA have heard

from you to talk to you about it, then you get what you deserve– Don’t pretend this is a way to get free grading by the

instructor… You’ll be wrong and it will just piss you off



Stage I and Stage II in CPRStage I: (Typically due before the first class of the Unit)• Write 4 questions and turn them into CPR (online)• Make sure to use HTML formatting (do a Preview to check)

– Use the <p> or <BR> lines after your paragraph or question.

Stage II: (Typically due before the following lecture)• Three-Parts

1. Calibrations (learning to use the Rubrics)• Read an example submission and use the grading rubric

to assign a score. Grade the three example submissions (get only one free try to pass the grading rubric)

2. Reviews (Grade three other submitted submissions)• Ignore that it says you have only 5 minutes for this. I

have set it so you can start the reviews right after you finish your calibrations

3. Self-Assessment (Grade your own submission)Note: You get a separate score for each of the 4 parts (text,

calibrations, Reviews and Self-Assessment) 22



Help Available for Stage I• Submit a draft for feedback from the TA

– Submit on eCampus in “Rough Drafts (Optional)”

• We also recommend going to the Writing Center– This is especially true for when we get

to the papers• Most common problems:

– Not reading the instructions– Not using HTML formatting (do a

Preview before submitting) 23



Help Available for Stage II• Stage II help:

– Each calibration is graded 0 or 100%. – You only get 2 tries for each of the 3

calibrations– Many students have trouble with the

calibrations because they do them RIGHT before they are due, and do them too quickly (and then fail them)

• Our advice: – Do them early and ask for help if you fail one

the first time– Practice in eCampus quizzes to help you get

good at them 24



Unit 1 and Later Units• PLRQ Unit 1 in CPR is different than the others

– It is Pass/Revise– You must pass ALL four parts separately, just a 70%

overall score is NOT good enough. You will need:• >70% on the overall score• >35/50 on the text portion of your paper• >14/20 on the calibration portion• >14/20 on the reviews• >7/10 on the self-assessment• Have done the proper HTML formatting in your

submission– If you don’t pass the first time, you will have to do a

Revision Assignment (all the parts) until you pass– For some reason I got LOTS of emails about this.

• Later units are just your combined score for all parts– You can do a revision if you want to get a better grade– We will average the two scores 25



Typical Order of Things to Do!

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Read Chapters for

the whole Unit

Write PLRQ Questions

and Submit to CPR (stage 1) before due

date

Go to Lecture, take

in-class Clicker

quizzes and actively

participate

After we finish a chapter in

Lecture, do the End-of-Chapter

Quiz in eCampus

After Stage 1 due date, do Stage 2 of CPR for PLRQ

•Things will be a little different for the first week, but here is the general picture



Plan for Each ChapterExample for Chapter 2: • Before Lecture:

– Read Chapters 1-4 in BBBHNM (Unit 1)– Do Stage 1 of PLRQ in CPR for Unit 1 (submit 4

questions)• Do for next class

• During Lecture– Listen & Ask Questions– Take clicker and other quizzes

• After Lecture– Finish Stage 2 of CPR for PLRQ for Unit 1

• Will be for the class after that– If we finish Chapter 2, then take End-of-Chapter

quiz 2 in eCampus27



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Going Big – Chapter 2

•You have to get started somewhere

•Start by looking at the various things in the universe –Go from sizes we know to the VERY big

•After that we’ll do the very small–Chapter 3



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The Very Big: Why Start Here?

•If we want to understand the universe and where it comes from (and what’s going to happen to it) we need to know:1.What’s in it2.What it’s made of

•Said differently, "What are we trying to explain?”– If we were detectives trying to

explain what happened, we’d need to gather evidence: What’s the evidence we can gather by looking at the scene of the crime?



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Starting out…

10 centimeters, or 0.1 meters, or 10-1 meters.About 3 inches

Just starting out… A size we know: The nose in front of your face (well… someone’s face)



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Look from father away...

Moving out, but still staying at sizes we know and love

1 meter (or about 3 feet)



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Bigger still…

The Statue of Liberty in New York

10 meters (or about 30 feet)



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Keep going…

100 meters or about a football field, or 102 meters



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Starting to get out there…

1 kilometer or 103 meters

Manhattan and the Hudson river



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Even bigger… use an airplane

•Can see the grid structure of Manhattan•Important to the story?

Yes! Can tell us a LOT about how New York City was constructed!10

kilometers or 104 meters



Go to Drawings

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•Manhattan•Statue of

Liberty•Atlantic

ocean

100 kilometers or 105 meters



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Yet bigger…•The eastern coast of the U.S.•If we looked at photos we would see no evidence of human life except for lights at night

1000 km or 106 meters (1 Megameter)



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The Earth from Space

Now we can see most of the Earth, but we can’t see the streets

107 meters!



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More Earth

The Earth is a sphere in space

108 meters!



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More Drawings

109 meters, a billion meters (a gigameter), a million miles

The Earth

Orbit of the Moon (27.3 days)



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The Earth orbiting the Sun•The Earth on its trajectory around the sun

•The Moon going around the Earth1010

meters!



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Earth around the Sun

• Orbit of the Earth –Yellow circle

is the Moon’s orbit

• Orbit of Venus

1011 meters!



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The Inner Planets• Mars, Earth,

Venus and Mercury orbiting the Sun

• All the planets move in the same direction (counterclockwise in this picture)

• A clue?1012 meters!~A billion miles!



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The Outer Planets

•Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune•Again all move in the same direction!•Look from the side: All move in the same plane! Another clue?

1013 meters!



Aside on why Pluto isn’t a planet

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The Whole Solar System•Mostly empty space, but some stuff•Typically only 1 hydrogen atom per cubic centimeter (size of a standard die)•There is other stuff we’ll talk about like cosmic background radiation and dark matter

1014 meters!



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Mostly Empty Space

•More interstellar space•The small circle is the orbit of Pluto1015

meters!~trillion miles



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More Empty Space

On this scale the solar system is a tiny dot

1016 meters!



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The Nearest Stars•Alpha Centauri A,

Alpha Centauri B and Proxima Centauri

•Proxima Centauri is the closest at 4.0x1016 meters from the sun

•Same as 4.2 light-years away – (it takes light

4.2 years to get there)

– 1 light-year is about a trillion miles1017 meters!



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The Brightest Stars in Our Sky

•Only the brightest stars are shown

•Almost 2000 in reality

1018 meters!



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Next Round…

•Again, only the brightest

•~2 million total in this space

1019 meters!



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The Milky WaySo many stars that they appear to be “clouds” of stars

Much of the space between stars contains “Dark Matter” we can’t see directly – About 5 times

more mass in Dark Matter than the stars1020 meters!



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Our Galaxy

•Central Bulge•Spiral arms•The sun is in one of the spiral arms, ~1/3 of the way inward from edge of the disk towards the center

1021 meters!



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Two Different Views of our Galaxy

Looking down at the center

Looking at it from the

side

Very flat… like our Solar system. Outer stars rotating the same direction… like our solar system

Could the galaxy and the solar system have something in common?

Created in similar ways?

50 times wider than tall!



Looking at the “Mass” in the Galaxy

• In the previous picture, we showed the location of the stars

• There is a LOT more mass in the dark matter than in the stars– More on dark

matter in Chapter 6 55



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Our Neighbor Galaxies

•There are dwarf galaxies just outside our own•Didn’t even know there were other galaxies until the 1920’s

1022 meters!



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The Full Size Neighbors

•Many galaxies nearby•Galaxies are often found in “clusters”–Can be just a few, up to thousands

1023 meters!



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The Local Group•Our galaxy (the Milky Way) is part of a cluster of galaxies called the “Local Group”

•These distant galaxies are moving away from us VERY quickly–Big Bang

1024 meters!



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Our “Observable” Universe• 1011 galaxies

(about the same number of stars in our galaxy)

• We’re on the fringe of a very large cluster of galaxies called the “Local Supercluster”

• Don’t know the true shape and size of the universe so we can’t go any further

1025 meters or 1022 miles across



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Summary

http://bigbang.physics.tamu.edu/Figures/StolenAnimations/GoingBig.wmv



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Prep For Next Time – L2, Part 1• Reading: (If you haven’t already)

– Required: BBBHNM Unit 1 (Chapter 1-4)– Recommended Reading:

• BHOT: Chap. 1-3• SHU: Chap. 1-2• TOE: Chap. 1

• Pre-Lecture Reading Questions (some were due already)– Read instructions handout/FAQ document– CPR/PLRQ quizzes in eCampus– Stage 1 in CPR (enter your 4 questions)

• Remember to use HTML formatting• Due Monday Feb 2, BEFORE class (won’t usually

give 1 week)• Stage 2 will be due before class on Wednesday, Feb

4



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Prep For Next Time – L2, Part 2

• eCampus Stuff (If you haven’t already)– Complete Warm-up quiz, AMS, CPR and

PLRQ Quizzes– If we finished Chapter 2 then end-of-

chapter quiz 2 (else just above) • Other Prep:– Make sure you are receiving email using

the Official A&M email, will use it for class announcements

– Bring lined paper and your iClicker to the next class



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Prep For Next Time – L3• Reading: (Already due)



• Pre-Lecture Reading Questions (some were due already)– CPR/PLRQ quizzes in eCampus– Stage 1 in CPR (enter your 4 questions)

• Remember to use HTML formatting• Due Monday Feb 2, BEFORE class (won’t usually give 1

week)• Stage 2 will be due before class on Wednesday, Feb 4

• End-of-Chapter Quizzes– If we finished Chapter 2 then end-of-chapter quiz 2

• Papers– None assigned– First one will be assigned when we do Chapter 6



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Full Set of Readings So Far

•Required: BBBHNM: Chap 1-4•Recommended:–BHOT: Chap. 1-3–SHU: Chap. 1-2–TOE: Chap. 1



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iClicker Quiz QuestionQ: The four inner planets all move in the same

direction. Based on this, what would you predict for the direction of the outer planets?

a)Half one, way half the other (it should be random)

b)3 one way, 1 the other way (it should be random, but there is no reason it should be half and half)

c)Should all be moving in the same direction as the inner four

d)Should all be moving in the opposite direction as the inner four to balance things out

66



iClicker QuestionQ: What would be good evidence for or

against the claim that 'the Earth will be sucked into the Sun someday soon'?

a)Haven't been sucked in yet.b)The gravitational force from the Sun is

decreasing since the Sun is losing mass.

c)The Earth is moving quickly enough away from the Sun which balances out the gravitational attraction.

d)The Earth is slowing down, since all things that move, slow down over time67



iClicker Question

Q: True or False: The supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy will suck in the rest of the galaxy

a)Trueb)False

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• Reading: – Required: BBBHNM: Chapter 1-4– Recommended Reading:•BHOT: Chap. 1-3•SHU: Chap. 1-2•TOE: Chap. 1

• Pre-Lecture Reading Questions (PLRQ)– eCampus Quizzes 0-3– Submit Unit 1, Stage 1 into CPR

• End of chapter quizzes– None



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• Reading: – Required: BBBHNM: Chapter 1-4– Recommended Reading:


• Pre-Lecture Reading Questions (PLRQ)– eCampus PRLQ Quizzes 0-3 (were due

Monday)– Unit 1, Stage 2 in CPR

• End of chapter quizzes– None



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• Reading: –Required: BBBHNM Unit 1 (1-4)–Recommended Reading:•BHOT: Chap. 1-3•SHU: Chap. 1-2•TOE: Chap. 1

• Pre-Lecture Reading Questions–Unit 1 submitted into CPR

• eCampus Quizzes–Warm-up quizzes and AMS



72


• Reading: –Required: BBBHNM Unit 1 (1-4)–Recommended Reading:•BHOT: Chap. 1-3•SHU: Chap. 1-2•TOE: Chap. 1

• Pre-Lecture Reading Questions–Stages 1 and 2 for Unit 1

completed in CPR• eCampus Quizzes–Warm-up quizzes and AMS



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Prep For Next Time – L3• Reading: (If you haven’t already)



• Pre-Lecture Reading Questions– Do PLRQ Tests 0-3 (practice) in eCampus– Unit 1, Stage 2 due before class on

Wednesday• End-of-Chapter Quizzes

– If we finished Chapter 2 then end-of-chapter quiz 2 (else just above)



74

Textbook Notes• Some people are still having trouble getting

textbook • Quicker to get it at bookstore, but you can

order it directly at http://bigbang.physics.tamu.edu/ or get it there as an ebook (cheaper)

• First four chapters for free download on the website (go to “textbooks”)

• A number of students have already gotten extra credit for typos. List of typos at http://bigbang.physics.tamu.edu/known_textbook_problems.txt

– Extra credit for any new ones (email to

[email protected])



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Prep For Next Time – L3• Reading:



• Pre-Lecture Reading Questions– Unit 1, Stage 2 in CPR due before class on

Monday• eCampus Stuff

– Complete Warm-up quizzes and AMS (already due)

– If we finished Chapter 2 then end-of-chapter quiz 2 (else just above)



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77

Before we begin…

• Some organizational stuff for the course

• Finally getting to the course– Chapter 2– The Very Big



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The Local Group•Our galaxy (the

Milky Way) is part of a cluster of galaxies called the “Local Group”

•We’re on the fringe of a very large cluster of galaxies called the “Local Supercluster”

•These distant galaxies are moving away from us VERY quickly– Big Bang

Taken using the Hubble Space Telescope 1023

meters!



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eCampus QuizzesThere are a number of quizzes that you will need to take on eCampus. Each is based on the questions at the end of the chapters

Bad news:•To pass the course you need to get a perfect score on all of them

Good news:•You can take as many attempts as you want until you get a perfect score

•I REALLY want you to learn and get good grades!



80

Prep For Next Time – L2•Reading:–BBBHNM: Chap 3

•Reading Questions:–Two questions from Chapter 2 or the recommended reading–Turn in on eCampus BEFORE class

•eCampus Quizzes–Warm-up and AMS–If we finished Chapter 2 then end-of-chapter quiz 2 (else just above)



81

Prep For Next Time – L3•Reading:–BBBHNM: Chap 3

•Reading Questions:–Two questions from Chapter 3 or the recommended reading–Turn in on eCampus BEFORE class

•eCampus Quizzes–Warm-up and AMS–If we finished Chapter 2 then end-of-chapter quiz 2 (else just above)



PLRQ Questions In-class quiz

1. Will the Universe expand forever?

2. Can you have anti-matter in a proton?

3. Can String Theory be true?

4. Is anti-matter real?82



Calibrated Peer Review Info• Get to CPR from my website or eCampus• Full assignment info on CPR website

– Read all the directions carefully• First assignment (Unit 1) ONLY is

Pass/Revise– If you do not pass all aspects of the

assignment, you will have do the whole assignment again (third try?)

– You will get a 100% score when you pass •You shouldn’t get penalized while you learn

• All other assignments just get graded

83



PLRQ: Rubric Questions 1 & 2

1) For the first writer-submitted question: Is it obvious that the question write has read the material? Do not choose No due to a simple or basic question. Do not choose No if it appears the writer is struggling with the concepts of the chapter. Choose No if seems that the writer did not read the chapter. Choose No if the writers question is already answered in the chapter. Be careful not to say No if a SIMPLER question is answered in the book.

2) For the first writer-submitted question: Is the question relevant to the reading? If the question is about science or borderline science fiction, that is ok. But if it is not about relevant topics choose No. Choose No if the writers question is already answered in the chapter. Be careful not to say No if a SIMPLER question is answered in the book.

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PLRQ: Rubric Questions 3-53) For the first writer-submitted question: Is the question clear, well

phrased, thoughtful and not too speculative? Being well written is not enough. The question must seem sincerely aimed at acquiring new information. Questions like "What would happen if Einstein didn't come up with Relativity" is too speculative to get a Yes. Choose No if the writers question is already answered in the chapter. Be careful not to say No if a SIMPLER question is answered in the book.

4) For the first writer-submitted question: Does the question reflect critical thinking? If it is asking for a fact that might need to be determined by an experiment, then you can give it a Yes. If this is a definition question, or is fact-based question directly answered in the book, then select No. Be careful not to say No if a SIMPLER question is answered in the book.

5) For the first writer-submitted question: Is the question asking for information or clarification about an important point or asking for clarification on an interesting new idea about a relevant topic? Any one is fine, but it does have to be specific. For example, "I don't understand General Relativity, please elaborate" is bad, but "Why is General Relativity needed for GPS to work" is good. Choose No if the writers question is already answered in the chapter. Be careful not to say No if a SIMPLER question is answered in the book.

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Documents

Big Bang, Black Holes, No Math ASTR/PHYS 109 Dr. David Toback Lectures 2,3 and 4