How Did the Universe

Form?
Day 1

1) Pretend that you are standing still on the sidewalk.

Explain the sound that you hear as an ambulance
drives past.
What does it sound like as it moves towards you?
What does it sound like as it moves away from you?

1/28/15
Objective: I can explain how the universe formed
using evidence from wavelengths of light in space

Doppler effect
The effect that shifts the wavelengths of sound or
light in objects that are moving toward or away from
an observer

Train is standing still

Train is moving to the right

Observation:
The pitch of the train whistle gets higher
as the train moves towards you, and then
it gets lower after it passes you.

1. Use what you know about the Doppler effect to

explain what is happening to the sound waves of the
train whistle.
A scientific answer would say:
Which direction the object is moving
What does that movement do to the sound waves?

Doppler effect for light waves

Long wavelength

Short wavelength

Scientists observe that the light from a nearby star

has a longer wavelength than it should (they know its
real wavelength).

What would the light from the star look like?

a. The light would look more blue
b. The light would look more red
c. The light would look the same

What would the light from the star look like?

a. The light would look more blue
b. The light would look more red
c. The light would look the same

We call
call this
this blueshift
redshift
We

Doppler effect for light waves

Scientists observe that the light from a nearby star

has a longer wavelength than it should (they know its
real wavelength).
2. Use what you know about the Doppler effect to
explain what is happening to the stars light waves.
A scientific answer would say:
Which direction the object is moving
What does that movement do to the light waves?

Scientists have observed that from earth, all other

galaxies look redshifted, meaning we see their light
as a longer wavelength than it actually is.

What does this tell us about the movement of all

other galaxies in the universe?
All other galaxies are moving away from us.