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M2A2

Hubble's Law states that the further away galaxies are from an observer, the faster they appear to be moving away due to the expansion of the universe. Hubble measured distance using apparent brightness and size of galaxies and measured velocity through redshift. His discovery of a relationship between distance and velocity strongly implies an expanding universe. While Hubble's specific values for the Hubble constant were inaccurate, his method was precise in demonstrating the expanding universe, making his discovery significant despite errors.

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828 views

M2A2

Hubble's Law states that the further away galaxies are from an observer, the faster they appear to be moving away due to the expansion of the universe. Hubble measured distance using apparent brightness and size of galaxies and measured velocity through redshift. His discovery of a relationship between distance and velocity strongly implies an expanding universe. While Hubble's specific values for the Hubble constant were inaccurate, his method was precise in demonstrating the expanding universe, making his discovery significant despite errors.

Uploaded by

valky
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1.

State Hubble’s Law in your own words, paying attention to the definition of the
parameters (i.e., consider relative to what locations is distance measured). Describe
how Hubble measured distance and velocity.
Hubble’s Law states that the distance from an observer and a given object
(galaxy) is in proportion to its velocity. The further they are, the faster they are
moving away from the observer.
2. Describe how Hubble measured distance and velocity.
He inferred that galaxies have the same sizes. He measured the distance from
the apparent brightness of their stars – those that appeared smaller must be further
away. He measured velocity through redshifts. He found out that those with smaller
image had higher redshifts.
3. Sketch a caricature or diagram of the situation or phenomenon showing that
Hubble’s Law strongly implies an expanding universe.

4. Describe how Hubble determined Hubble’s Constant. What interesting specific


information can be derived from it?
With the determination of the brightness of Cepheid variable stars, constant
was calculated. It is the distance of an object over velocity which is equal to time. It
expresses the rate at which the universe is expanding, and it can be used to
determine the universe’s age.
5. How does Hubble’s Constant depend on time? How about distance? (In what sense
is it constant?)
The expansion rate of the universe changes with time, thus the value of the
constant also varies with time. As the expansion rate decreases with time, constant
deceases. As the distance between objects increases, expansion rate decreases, thus
constant also decreases. It is constant in a sense that the universe expands at the
same rate at every location in the universe; it is constant throughout space.
6. Does Hubble’s Law have anything to say about the motion of stars relative to other
stars in the same galaxy? If yes, what is it?
No, Hubble did not mention anything about the motion of stars relative to
other stars in the same galaxy. It did not discuss about the possibility of gravity
affecting the pull of cosmological bodies closer. In fact, Hubble’s Law works only for
distant galaxy.
7. What is the error in Hubble’s observation? Using the distinction between accuracy
and precision to support your argument, why is the error insignificant?
Hubble had unknowingly used two different population of stars to calibrate
distance. He had underestimated the distance to nearby galaxies. Hubble’s values
were wrong by a large factor of ~7 and the expansion rate is too large. However,
Hubble’s discovery about the expanding universe remains true. Accuracy shows how
close a measurement is to an accepted value, while precision presents how
reproducible and consistent in producing results measurements are. Hubble’s values
were erroneous yet precise that there is indeed a relationship between distance and
velocity.
8. If Hubble were in a different planet or galaxy, will he make the same observation
described in Hubble’s Law?
Yes, since the universe is expanding at the same rate at every location
throughout space. However, this can be observed only in an average scale. Some
galaxies are moving towards each other due to gravity.
9. Enumerate a few other discoveries that are consistent with Hubble’s discovery and
which support the occurrence of the Big bang.
Large scale structure of the universe, the evolution and properties of
galaxies, Hubble Distance, Hubble time, Hubble constants and the age of the
universe.
10. What are the particular “twist and turns” in the story that make Hubble’s discovery a
dramatic story?
When he underestimated the distance of nearby galaxies when he made an
error on his values by a factor of around 7.

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