World Citi Colleges
Quezon City
Department of Senior High School
Science,Technology,Engineering, and Mathematics
Earth Science
Laboratory Activity #1
THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE
Baña, Neo Jhon Louie | Viaña, Ellaiza Marisse| Lamparero, Reign | Ocop, Archie June | Ciriaco,
Kimberly
Abstract
In this lab activity students intend to know more about the expansion of the universe using simple
materials. The studentsonly used one balloon that represents the whole universe and little circles that were
made from paper that represents what exists inside the universe such as galaxies, planets, stars and many
more. The student started by inflating the balloon at 15cm, and then glued the paper circles to the surface
of the balloon by 2cm apart. After the studentglued the paper circles on the surface of the balloon, the
student inflated it further, and then studentswill observe what will happen to the little circles. While the
balloon is getting larger and larger, the students have observed that the distance between the paper circles
are widening. The other paper circles are moving in an opposite direction with each other. The paper
circles in the upper part of the balloon are moving faster than the paper circles on the middle and lower
part of the balloon.
Introduction
The first concrete proof that the universe is expanding came from Edwin Hubble in the 1920s.
Hubble established a straightforward correlation between a galaxy's redshift in its spectral lines and its
distance from Earth. The cosmological redshift is the name given to this redshift.When scientists refer to
the cosmos as expanding, they indicate that it has been expanding ever since the Big Bang, when the
universe first began.
However, because space is also moving, the galaxies aren't travelling through it; rather, they are
moving within it. In other words, everything is drifting away from everything else and there is no center
to the cosmos. If you picture a grid of space with galaxies spaced approximately every million light years,
over time this grid will enlarge until the galaxies are spread out to approximately every two million light
years, and so on possibly indefinitely.Nothing expands into the universe. There isn't any room "out there"
for it to grow. Space is stretched by the cosmic expansion, as though it were formed of a flexible rubber
material. Out here, there is only expansive expanse; there is no physical border.
The universe expansion is caused by the pushing and pulling effect. The pushing and pulling
effect caused the galaxies and solar systems inside the universe grow a larger distance with each other.
The pushing effect is caused by dark energy that is a property of space causing the galaxies to be pushed
apart from each other. That's why Albert Einstein realized that the empty space is not nothing because of
the dark energy and dark matter that’s causing the expansion of the universe. In 1998, two international
teams have discovered the Dark Energy including the American astronomers Adam Riess, Saul
Perlmutterand Australian astronomer Brian Schmidt. But before the discovery of dark energy Fritz
Zwickya Swiss American astronomer inferred the existence of dark matter. The dark matter causes the
pulling effect that pulls the galaxies together, which explain on how the universe expansion works.
Methodology
A. Materials
Figure 1. Round Rubber Balloon Figure 2. Paper Circles
Figure 3. Glue Figure 4. Paper Clip Figure 5. Balloon Pump
B. Procedures
Figure 6.Use the balloon pump to inflate the balloon up to a circumference of approximately 15cm, pinch
the hole of the balloon using the paper clip to prevent air from coming out.
Figure 7.Glue the paper circles on the surface of the balloon about 2cm apart.
Figure 8. Inflate the balloon further and observe.
Results and Discussion
When the balloon was inflated at 15cm, the paper circle was not moving. They were
steady and just in their place.
Figure 1. The distance of the paper circles before inflating the balloon
After the balloon was inflated, it can be seen that the distance of the paper circles has
become far away from each other.
Figure 2. The distance of the paper circles after inflating the balloon
To summarize this lab activity, the balloon is the one that represents the outer space or
universe, while the paper circles represents galaxies, cosmos, and solar systems. This lab activity
shows that our universe is continuously expanding because of the pushing effect that is caused by the dark
energy, just like what the students did using the balloon. The students showed that as they inflate or
“pushed” the air inside the balloon, the distance of the paper circles grows a larger distance with each
other. That is what exactly happens to our universe, as it experiences the “pushing effect”, the universe
will expand and as it expands, the galaxies, solar system will grow a larger distance with each other.
Conclusion
The universe expansion has many theories, but in this lab experiment that the students did using
balloons and paper circles, students have concluded that the universe expansion is happening because of
pushing and pulling effect by observing the movements of the paper circles that represents the galaxies
during the expansion of the balloon which, on the other hand, represents as the universe. The paper circles
are continuously growing a large gap with each other during the enlargement of the balloon because of
the pushing effect that is caused by the dark energy. During the enlargement of the balloon, students
noticed that the paper circles that are located in front of the balloon is moving faster than the paper circles
that is located in the middle and lower part of the balloon. Students concluded that the paper circles at the
front is moving faster, is because of the pulling effect that is caused by the dark matter.
Guide Questions
1. Do the paper circles get any larger as the balloon is inflated? What do these circles represent?
No, the paper circle did not get any larger as the balloon inflates, it was the distance between the
paper circle that got larger when the balloon was inflating. These paper circles represent the
different galaxies that are present in our expanding universe.
2. What does the balloon represent? As the universe expands, what happens to the size of the
galaxies.
The inflating balloon represents our expanding universe. As the universe expands or enlarges, the
galaxies only recede from each other.
3. What relationship exists between the speed of the galaxies moving apart and their initial
distance from one another.
Based on Hubble’s Law and our observations in the experiment, galaxies are moving away from
Earth at speeds proportional to their distance. Hence, the farther they are, the faster they are
moving away from Earth.
References
Harvey A., Choi C. (2022) Our Expanding Universe: Age, History & Other Facts
Riess A. dark energy | Definition, Discoverers, & Facts
Gleiser M. (2017) What Does An Expanding Universe Really Mean?
Links
Dark Energy and Dark Matter | Center for Astrophysics
Dark Energy, Dark Matter | Science Mission Directorate
A Cosmic Journey: A History of Scientific Cosmology
ESA-Space for Kids – The universe
Adam Riessdark energy | Definition, Discoverers, & Facts
What Does an Expanding Universe Really Mean?
