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Concept 1 Physical Science

The document summarizes how the elements found in the universe were formed through the process of nucleosynthesis during the early stages of the Big Bang theory. It explains that: (1) the universe began as an infinitely hot, dense singularity that rapidly expanded and cooled, forming a plasma soup of electrons, protons, neutrons and photons; (2) as it continued expanding and cooling, protons and neutrons fused together via nuclear fusion reactions to form the light elements hydrogen, helium and lithium; (3) eventually electrons combined with these atomic nuclei to form neutral atoms, which then gravity caused to collapse and form the first stars and galaxies.

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26 views1 page

Concept 1 Physical Science

The document summarizes how the elements found in the universe were formed through the process of nucleosynthesis during the early stages of the Big Bang theory. It explains that: (1) the universe began as an infinitely hot, dense singularity that rapidly expanded and cooled, forming a plasma soup of electrons, protons, neutrons and photons; (2) as it continued expanding and cooling, protons and neutrons fused together via nuclear fusion reactions to form the light elements hydrogen, helium and lithium; (3) eventually electrons combined with these atomic nuclei to form neutral atoms, which then gravity caused to collapse and form the first stars and galaxies.

Uploaded by

ansaleroch
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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LESSON 1: HOW THE ELEMENTS FOUND

IN THE UNIVERSE WERE FORMED

Stages of Bigbang Theory

a. The universe may have begun as an


infinitely hot and dense initial
singularity, a point with all of space,
time, matter and energy.
b. All of it then began to rapidly expand in
a process known as inflation. Space
itself expanded faster than the speed of
light.
c. The universe cooled down as it Reactions of nucleosynthesis by balancing proton and neutron count, given the
expanded. An excess of matter compositions of the nuclei:
(electrons, protons, neutrons and other
3
D = 1 p+, 1 n T = 1 p+, 2 n He = 2 p+, 1 n
particles)somehow came to be in a
highly energetic “plasma soup.” 4 7 7
He = 2 p+, 2 n Be = 4 p+, 3 n Li = 3 p+, 4 n
Photons (light particles) were being
scattered everywhere in this “soup”.
Protons and neutrons came together to • Example:
form different types of nuclei by 3
He + D = 4He + p+
nucleosynthesis or nuclear fusion. 3
He D 4
He p+
d. Much later on, electrons started to bind to ionized protons and nuclei forming neutral
atoms in a process called recombination. p n p n p n p n
e. Gravity caused these atoms to collapse onto one another to form stars and galaxies
and eventually, other matter. This still happens until today. 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 0

p=2+1=3 p=2+1=3
Nucleosynthesis or Nuclear Fusion Reaction
n=1+1=2 n=2+0=2
➢ Due to the rapid cooling due to expansion, nucleosynthesis ground to a halt about three
minutes after the Big Bang occurred. This left us with mostly H isotopes (p, D and T), He
isotopes and a very tiny bit of other elements like Li. The relative abundance of He and
H did not change much until today.

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