KS3 / KS4 Physics - Evidence of the Big Bang

This film is from the series Wonders of the Universe available on BBC Teach.

Professor Brian Cox explains how evidence for the Big Bang can be found by analysing the colour of starlight.

Astronomers have found that the further away a star or galaxy is, the redder its light appears.

This effect is known as red-shift and it tells us that distant stars are moving away from us.

Scientists interpret this as evidence for an expanding universe.

Teacher Notes

This clip can be used as a starting point to discuss the Big Bang theory.

Pupils can discuss and explain how light unlocks the fact that the light is red-shifted when objects are moving away from us in the universe. It can be used to promote discussion to link red-shift with the Big Bang.

Curriculum Notes

These clips will be relevant for teaching Physics at KS3, GCSE/KS4 and National 4/5 and Higher.

The topics discussed will support OCR, Edexcel, AQA,WJEC GCSE in GCSE in England and Wales, CCEA GCSE in Northern Ireland and SQA National 4/5 and Higher in Scotland.

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