Unit- Cosmology
Cosmology- The study of the history, structure, and dynamics of the universe.

 Topics

Big Bang: Evidence of development. The Big Bang Theory and observational measurements that support it place the origin of the universe at a time between 10 and 20 billion years ago, when the universe began in a hot, dense state. According to this theory, the universe has been expanding since then.

1. Spectra - Blackbodies (Continuous Spectrum), Emission Spectra, absorption spectra

2. Nuclear Reactions (Fission, Fusion, decay)

3. E = mc^2

4. Life cycle of stars

5. Creation of the Elements

Readings

Reading with Questions "Imagine the Universe"

Electromagnetic waves and what they tell us about stars- Spectroscopy

•  Atomic Spectra 
• Atomic Models and Spectra http://online.cctt.org/physicslab/content/Phy1/lessonnotes/atomic/atomicmodelsandspectra.asp

Life Cycle of Stars

·      We are all made of stars: http://www.thebiggestideas.com/cgi-bin/viewps.cgi?we_are_all_made_of_starsps.txt

• Life Cycle of stars http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/teachers/lifecycles/LC_main_p1.html

 Sites:

earth science video site

Reading about stars

Big Bang reading sheets...
Big Bang
Theory and Evidence reading

Big Bang Time Line

 KY Core Content Statements

SC-HS-4.6.11 Students will

v      explain the difference between alpha and beta decay, fission, and fusion;

v      identify the relationship between nuclear reactions and energy.

Nuclear reactions convert a fraction of the mass of interacting particles into energy, and they can release much greater amounts of energy than atomic interactions. Fission (alpha and beta decay) is the splitting of a large nucleus into smaller pieces. Fusion is the joining of two nuclei at extremely high temperature and pressure. Fusion is the process responsible for the energy of the Sun and other stars.

DOK 2

.The Earth and the Universe

 SC-HS-2.3.2 Students will

v      describe the current scientific theory of the formation of the universe (Big Bang) and its evidence;

v      explain the role of gravity in the formation of the universe and it’s components.

The big bang theory and observational measurements that support it place the origin of the universe at a time between 10 and 20 billion years ago, when the universe began in a hot dense state. According to this theory, the universe has been expanding since then. Early in the history of the universe, the first atoms to form were mainly hydrogen and helium. Over time, these elements clump together by gravitational attraction to form trillions of stars. DOK 2

SC-HS-2.3.3 Students will explain the origin of the heavy elements in planetary objects (planets, stars).

Some stars explode at the end of their lives, and the heavy elements they have created are blasted out into space to form the next generation of stars and planets. DOK 2

SC-HS-2.3.4 Students will understand that stars have life cycles of birth through death that are analogous to those of living organisms. During their lifetimes, stars generate energy from nuclear fusion reactions that create successively heavier chemical elements.

SC-HS-2.3.5 Students will understand that the Sun, Earth, and the rest of the solar system formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago from a nebular cloud of dust and gas