BRAINCAKEThe Age of the Universe
Hubble's law can be used to estimate the age of the universe.
If galaxies are all moving apart, then in the past they were closer together. Run time backwards and all the matter was together at one point, the Big Bang. Assume a galaxy now at distance d has always moved at its present speed v. The time taken to reach d is
t = d ÷ v
Sign in free to see the rest of this lesson, the R.E.C.I.P.E. recall steps and the quiz
BrainCake is free. Make an account in seconds and pick up where this page stops.
Key terms in this lesson
- big bang
- The extremely hot, dense state from which the universe began expanding around 14 billion years ago.
More in Space
- White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars and Black Holes
- Trigonometric Parallax
- Standard Candles
- The Doppler Effect and Red Shift
- Hubble's Law
- The Expanding Universe
- Dark Matter
- The Fate of the Universe
All 18 lessons in Space · All Edexcel A-level Physics topics