Exam 17: The Beginning of Time

Refer to this scenario for the following questions: A multi-dimensional being reaches down to Earth and pulls you out of the universe. You are then thrown back into the universe at a place and time of the being's choosing, and you are permitted to leave only after you have identified your surroundings. This process is repeated several times. Through a scientifically unexplainable miracle, you are able to survive in every one of the places that you find yourself. In each scenario below, identify your surroundings (and potentially your cosmic era) from among the choices given. -It is bright everywhere. You have been able to travel around, and it's clear that you are not inside a star. Yet your surroundings seem as bright as looking directly at the Sun. As you travel around, you notice that you cannot find a single neutral atom anywhere, nor can you find any nucleus besides those of hydrogen and helium. While it is hot (a few thousand degrees Kelvin), it is nowhere near the temperature needed for nuclear fusion. Where are you?

New Perspectives? Chapter 17 ends the discussion of the origin and evolution of the universe. Galaxy and star formation, as well as the origin of planetary systems, were discussed in earlier chapters. It is perhaps time to reflect upon what has been learned. There is an oft-quoted line in T.S. Eliot's poem Little Gidding (1942): "And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." Have you gained any new perspectives on the position of the Earth (and human beings) within the universe through your study of the science of astronomy? If so, what are they?

Which of the following statements cannot be tested by science today?

What is postulated to have caused a sudden inflation of the early universe?

What happened to all of the quarks that existed freely during the particle era?