Non-standard cosmology

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/non-standard-cosmology

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 scientific discipline?Theoretical and observational cosmology, theoretical physics
2. What is non‑standard cosmology?It is a set of ideas that try to explain how the universe began and works, different from the usual Big Bang story.
3. Why do scientists look at non‑standard cosmology?Because some parts of the usual model use mysterious things like dark energy and dark matter, and there are puzzles such as the Hubble tension.

Lambda-CDM Model: The standard cosmological model, incorporating a cosmological constant (Lambda) and cold dark matter (CDM).
Hubble Tension: A significant discrepancy between measurements of the universe's expansion rate from early and late cosmic times.
Modified Gravity: Theories that alter Einstein's General Relativity to explain cosmological phenomena.
Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB): The faint afterglow radiation from the Big Bang, providing crucial information about the early universe.