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How does Inflation solve the Big Bang’s problems?

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Although much of the Big Bang Theory is widely accepted to be true, it only gets us part of the way there. Observable truths such as the CMB and the flatness of our universe reveal that there is no way the universe has been expanding at a constant rate since its beginning. It turns out Cosmic Inflation solves the Big Bang’s major problems quite well. So well in fact, that we might not even need a Big Bang at all!

FURTHER READING:

Inflation (cosmology)
http://bit.ly/1Meeff1

Cosmological constant
http://bit.ly/25nlp7Z

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COMMENTS:

Frank Schneider
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj6Kc…

DBlanding23
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj6Kc…

jodokastslo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj6Kc…

Omicron Vega
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj6Kc…

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Written and hosted by Matt O’Dowd
Made by Kornhaber Brown (www.kornhaberbrown.com)

A story is worth a thousand data points.
My second channel: http://bit.ly/2veritasium
More info on this topic: http://wke.lt/w/s/TzNC0

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Why does our universe make spheres and disks?

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Tweet at us! @pbsspacetime
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Our universe is not a very diverse place when it comes to shapes. Large celestial bodies become spheres, galaxies become discs, and there is little room for variation. Why is this? Well it turns out physics has some pretty strict rules when it comes to creating new planetary bodies. On this week’s Space Time, we explore equillibrium and symmetry, the two defining factors that shape our universe.

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COMMENTS:

Felix Ironfist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDmKLXVFJzk&lc=z12dwzk4iquld5g0323uivizxm2xxxdk2

Florent POUJOL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDmKLXVFJzk&lc=z13pcn3rgpzxexgym04cfbeokpeaspzidjw

Reuben Silva
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDmKLXVFJzk&lc=z12bcv4w0muzd3ihm04cchbp0s3kyjpj3p00k

Dom Vasta
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDmKLXVFJzk&lc=z13ns1kqdw2kf5bzm04ccd4arybjvvvgcow0k

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Written and hosted by Matt O’Dowd
Made by Kornhaber Brown (www.kornhaberbrown.com)

Why do droplets of food coloring attract, repel, and chase each other?
Snatoms molecular models: http://igg.me/at/snatoms
More about this topic: http://wke.lt/w/s/VRjRQ

Original paper on droplets: http://stanford.edu/~manup/docs/Cira_DancingDroplets.pdf
Marangoni Flow: http://web.mit.edu/2.21/www/Lec-notes/Surfacetension/Lecture4.pdf
Surface Energy: https://itf.fys.kuleuven.be/~joi/papers/Wettingandspreading.pdf

Filming and master pipetting by Raquel Nuno
Research and writing by Aaron White

If a photon leaves the train station shortly after the Big Bang …

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REFRESHER EPISODES:

Space Used to Be Orange!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tCMd1ytvWg

Why the Big Bang Definitely Happened
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPStj2ZuXug

Question #1: What physical distance did the light from the CMB travel through an expanding universe to reach us today?

Question #2: What average distance could a photon travel before being scattered by an electron just before recombination? (show your work!)

Choose one question to answer.

Email answers to pbsspacetime@gmail.com

Make sure you title your email: “CMB Challenge”

5 random winners will receive a PBS Space Time Digital Studios t-shirt!

Good luck!
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If you would like to attend Matt’s gravitational waves seminar on March 14th in NYC, email pbsspacetime@gmail.com with the subject line “NYC Gravitational Waves” for more details!
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Written and hosted by Matt O’Dowd
Made by Kornhaber Brown (www.kornhaberbrown.com)

There’s a problem with the Big Bang Theory.

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Now that we have a primer on the aspects of the Big Bang Theory that we know definitely happened, let’s look further into what we don’t yet know, and how the theory could progress in the future. Since there is a discrepancy between general relativity and quantum mechanics, we continue to search for a grand unifying theory… one which may finally lead to a description of the actual moment of the Big Bang! On this week’s Space Time, Matt describes what specifically needs fixing within the current theory, and the reasons why.

FURTHER READING:

Electroweak Era
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroweak_epoch
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COMMENTS:

ElectroMechaCat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPStj2ZuXug&lc=z13iinc5vyemsbk5l04cjrbalxjqd5pgzcw

Kalakashi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPStj2ZuXug&lc=z13ov1c4ipqydv0cm235ydgjszy2jpzou04

James Beech
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPStj2ZuXug&lc=z12jgfjafmufg54fj23od1ibvny4jpl5404

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Written and hosted by Matt O’Dowd
Made by Kornhaber Brown (www.kornhaberbrown.com)

How physics lets us rewind time to the beginning of the universe.

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We pretty much know for sure that the universe was once extremely small, and extremely hot. And we know that something set it in motion, expanding rapidly and continuing to do-so today. But the actual moment of ‘the Big Bang’ is still a bit of a grey area within physics. The theories of general relativity and quantum mechanics disagree on this pivotal “beginning of time,” and physicists continue to search for an all-encompassing theory to unify the study of our universe. On this week’s Space Time, we begin to discuss the current state of the Big Bang Theory, and where it could go from here.

FURTHER READING:

Overview of Big Bang theory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang

Timeline of the Big Bang
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronol…

MinutePhysics made a truly superb video on what the Big Bang really is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3MWR…

Kurzgesagt does a great job describing some of the events of the very early universe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNDGg…

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COMMENTS:

Brendon Binns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw-i_VKd6Wo&lc=z12ivbbraz3xxdwj304citqwksadvr2pkik

David Mulyk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw-i_VKd6Wo&lc=z12wjbig0kq0z5gni22mgbdquvztil2ti

John Proctor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw-i_VKd6Wo&lc=z123yzqjqtvkxvcil04cjnjzkx3fufiisac

Lawrence Stanley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw-i_…

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Written and hosted by Matt O’Dowd
Made by Kornhaber Brown (www.kornhaberbrown.com)

What is the specious present? And how do our brains perceive time?
Get a 30-day free trial on Audible: http://bit.ly/AudibleVe
More info about this topic: http://wke.lt/w/s/z8TeR

Will there be 9 planets again?

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Tweet at us! @pbsspacetime
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Some funky orbits near the Kuiper Belt are hinting towards a brand new planet, the elusive ‘Planet X.’ Our friends Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin of Caltech are working hard to finally spot the potential gas giant through powerful telescopes, and the odds are looking extremely promising! We will keep you posted on any updates here on Space Time.

FURTHER READING FROM CALTECH:
https://www.caltech.edu/news/caltech-researchers-find-evidence-real-ninth-planet-49523
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PHOTON CLOCK CHALLENGE ANSWER:

A photon clock moving towards you at half the speed of light would appear to tick FASTER that a clock moving away from you at the same speed.

PHOTON CLOCK CHALLENGE WINNERS:

Benjamin Clark
Emma May
Lizzie (digitelanimefan)

EXTRA CREDIT WINNERS:

Marcin (Borobej)
Peđa Čačić
Raphaël Viguier

FURTHER READING:

Relativistic Doppler Effect:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relativ…

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COMMENTS:

Jono Storm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHRqi…

Vlad Tchompalov
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHRqi…

AFastidiousCuber
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHRqi…
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Written and hosted by Matt O’Dowd
Made by Kornhaber Brown (www.kornhaberbrown.com)

The lasers have wiggled!

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Email us! pbsspacetime [at] gmail [dot] com
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Today, over 100 years after Einstein proposed his theory of general relativity, we are proud to announce that his final major prediction has been verified! Gravitational waves have officially been detected by LIGO! We are still getting details as the teams of physicists go over the data, but this is a huge deal, and is an exciting new step in understanding our universe.

Have Gravitational Waves Been Discovered?!?
http://bit.ly/1JKxRXM
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COMMENTS:

TheRealBileth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8TCUGDltqM&lc=z13gdvez5onxhvsuh235cf24dobqvf0z104

Laura Lorca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8TCUGDltqM&lc=z12cspcahpuzvtvxe04cirt5szicvxsasxk0k

Fabio Brady
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8TCUGDltqM&lc=z13evprazrrywlc4y04cf1br4pmsvxo4kec

Chris Valentine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8TCUGDltqM&lc=z123efmavte1c1ehb04cfzabaobrh5rgf2w

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FURTHER READING:

NASA’s HAVOC Program
http://go.nasa.gov/1C8VWky

Andy Howell on the science of The Martian
http://bit.ly/1OtaAs2

______________________

Written and hosted by Matt O’Dowd
Made by Kornhaber Brown (www.kornhaberbrown.com)