An Nguyen

10/2/14
Period 1
The Big Bang Theory
Put simply, the Big Bang Theory is a theory about how the universe started. The theorys
advancement happened over a long period of time and relied on the brains of many different
people. It matters to our knowledge of the universes beginning and end.
According to the Big Bang Theory, everything started at a tiny, extremely hot, extremely
dense point. That tiny little point expanded quickly and inside, the first elements were formed:
helium, hydrogen, and lithium. Gravity eventually pulled those first elements together to form
stars. During the time of the Big Bang, everything we know came to existencetime, matter,
energy, and space. While everything was forming, the point still continued expanding, and it
hasnt stopped since.
The history of how this theory came to be spreads from 1848 to now (we still dont know
if the theory is true or if we have all the components). In 1848, a man you may have heard of,
Edgar Allen Poe, wrote an essay he called Eureka: A Prose Poem. In the essay, he argued that
the universe experiences expansion and contraction periods. In 1927, a man named Georges
Lemaitre proposed that the universe is expanding because there were observations of redshifts in
spiral nebulae. Redshift describes how light waves become more distorted as the lighted object
becomes farther and farther away. In 1929, Edwin Hubbles observations acted as evidence,
which is facts or anything that proves something else true or false, for Lemaitres proposition.
He observed that galaxies move away from Earth at a rate proportional to their distance (aka the

Hubble law). In 1979, Alan Guth and Alexei Starobinski invented the idea of inflation, meaning
they thought the universe expanded exponentially at its start. In 1986, Andrei Linde proposed
that inflation didnt only occur at the start of the universe, but also at the rest of the expansion of
the universe. In 1964, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson discovered cosmic background radiation
(CMB), which is the faint glow of light that fills the whole universe. CMB was released during
the Big Bang, and is evidence for the Big Bang Theory. The Big Bang Theory has come a long
way from Edgar Allen Poes essay, where the name wasnt even coined by Sir Fred Hoyle yet,
and it is still improving.
The Big Bang Theory matters not only to our universes past, but also to its future. Since
the theory tells us that the universe is constantly expanding, scientists have two main theories
about how the universe might end. One of these theories is called the Big Crunch. In the Big
Crunch, gravity will be so intense that the whole universe will be pulled back into the tiny point
it started in. Obviously, everything that now exists in the universe would not be able to fit in that
tiny point, so everything will be crushed and destroyed. The second of the two theories is called
the Big Freeze. In the Big Freeze, everything will be so far away from each other that thermal
energy cannot be transferred. Since no thermal energy will be transferred, everything will be
frozen. The Big Bang Theory matters because it tells us how the universe might have started and
how it might end.
In conclusion, the Big Bang Theory describes what scientists think the birth of our
universe was like. Its seed was planted by Edgar Allen Poe in 1848, and it grew with every
scientists discovery and proposition. Those scientists include Georges Lemaitre, Edwin Hubble,
Alan Guth, Alexei Starobinkski, Andrei Lindi, Arno Penzias, and Robert Wilson. The Big Bang
Theory matters because it tells us humans about the universes past and future.

Bibliography
"1964: Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson Find Evidence in Support of the Big Bang." Everyday
Cosmology. Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2014.
<http://cosmology.carnegiescience.edu/timeline/1964>.
Howell, Elizabeth. "What Is the Big Bang Theory?" Space.com. N.p., 19 Mar. 2014. Web. 02 Oct.
2014. <http://www.space.com/25126-big-bang-theory.html>.
Leitch, Erik M. "What Is the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation?"Scientific American Global
RSS. Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2004. Web. 02 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-the-cosmic-microw/>.
Terr, David, Ph.D. "The Big Bang Theory." The Big Bang Theory. N.p.: n.p., 2008. N. pag. 10 Apr.
2013. Web. 2 Oct. 2014. <http://www.davidterr.com/Philosophy/BigBangTheory.pdf>.