Cosmology: General Relativity and the Big Bang

• Psalm 19:1 states, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork."

General Relativity and the Expanding Universe

• In 1917, Einstein's theory of General Relativity suggested the universe was expanding and decelerating.
• Einstein introduced the cosmological constant to counteract this expansion, as he believed the universe was unchanging.
• In 1929, Edwin Hubble discovered that galaxies are receding away in every direction, with the farther galaxies receding faster.
• Hubble's discovery provided evidence for the expansion of the universe.

The Big Bang Theory

• Scientists believe the universe began with the Big Bang, a tremendous release of energy.
• Since the Big Bang, the universe has been continuously expanding.
• Evidence for the Big Bang includes the observation of galaxies flying away in all directions.

Expansion of the Universe and Light Waves

• The expansion of the universe can be viewed as the stretching of the spacetime fabric.
• This stretching affects light waves, causing them to get stretched out as well.

Chance of Correct Universe Density

• The chance of winning the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes is approximately 1 in 10,000,000.
• The chance of the Universe having the correct initial density (at 10^-40 seconds after the Big Bang) is 1 in 1 followed by 55 zeros.
• The initial density of the universe had to be very close to the "critical density".
• The initial density of the Universe / Critical density calculation = 1 + 0.000...0000001 (with 55 zeros).

Evidence for the Origin of the Universe and The Big Bang

• Observation of galaxies flying away from us in all directions.
• There is a remnant of the Big Bang now know as the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation.
• The observed abundance of light elements made in the Big Bang matches predictions.
• The remnant heat of the Big Bang was discovered in 1964 by Penzias and Wilson and called cosmic microwave background radiation.
• The universe has cooled considerably since the Big Bang; the radiation now corresponds to 3 degrees above absolute zero (-454 F).

Star Formation and Nucleosynthesis

• After the universe cooled, atoms (mostly hydrogen) clumped together due to gravity to form stars.
• Nucleosynthesis is the process of making heavier atoms by combining lighter atoms, which occurs in stars and is called fusion.
• The fusion in stars is where they get the energy to shine.
• Combining 4 hydrogen atoms creates a helium atom, a process called fusion, which powers the sun.
• Elements are made in stars and are what humans are made of.
• Nuclear energy levels are tuned to ensure both carbon and oxygen are abundant.

Carbon and Oxygen's Importance for Life

• Carbon and oxygen are essential for life (carbon dioxide, carbohydrates).
• He + He makes Be (Beryllium)
• Be + He makes C (Carbon)
• C + He makes O (Oxygen)

Distance Between Stars

• The average distance between stars is about 3 light years or 20 trillion miles.
• Too close stars could pull the earth into an eccentric orbit and kill life.
• Too much distance between stars would mean not enough heavy elements to make life.

Protons and Electrons

• Protons are positively charged; electrons are negatively charged.
• A proton attracts an electron, but repels another proton; an electron repels another electron.
• The repulsion between protons and electrons is 10^39 times larger than gravity.
• The number of protons equals the number of electrons in the universe.
• The repulsion between excess protons (or excess electrons) would overwhelm gravity without equal numbers of protons and electrons.

The Strong Force

• The strong force holds protons and neutrons together in the nucleus of an atom.
• The strong force overcomes the electrical repulsion between the protons.
• If the strong force was much stronger, big nuclei would form, leading to too many heavy elements and not enough light elements, making water rare.
• If the strong force was much weaker, fusing hydrogen would be hard, and stars wouldn't shine, making heavy elements rare.

Importance of Water

• Water vapor in the atmosphere blocks most of the harmful rays from the sun, such as ultraviolet radiation.
• Water is transparent to visible light, allowing the sky to be illuminated.

Science and Christianity

• Science and Christianity are often viewed as opposing points of view.
• The scientific method of experimentation arose from the Christian world view that God is rational and unchanging.
• Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.
• Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord.
• The laws of physics, chemistry, and biology indicate incredibly intelligent design.
• Psalm 139:14 states that You are "fearfully and wonderfully made".
• A cell is like a city with proteins as workers, mitochondria as a power plant, and actin fibers and microtubules as roads.

Components of a Cell

• Trucks inside a cell are Kinesin and dynein, Factories are Ribosomes.
• A cell's library is its Genome, and a recycling center is Lysosome.
• Police inside of a cell are the Chaperones.
• The cell's post office is the Golgi apparatus.