Big Crunch

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/big-crunch

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the observational status?Currently disfavored due to evidence of accelerated expansion driven by dark energy
2. Why would the universe stop expanding and start shrinking?If the universe has enough mass and energy, gravity can become stronger than the push that makes it expand, so the expansion would slow, stop, and then reverse.
3. How does gravity cause the Big Crunch?Gravity pulls everything together. In a very dense universe, this pull can beat the outward motion of galaxies, causing them to move back toward each other.

Density Parameter (Ω): A ratio comparing the universe's actual density to the critical density required for a flat universe.
Gravitational Singularity: A point in spacetime where gravitational forces become infinitely strong, and physical laws break down.
Scale Factor: A function describing the relative expansion or contraction of the universe over time.