Science ACT Passage 5

Consistent with Scientist A's position, over time entropy isn a closed system is known to increase. According to the laws of thermodynamics, this means that a closed system will eventually exhaust all of the free energy capable of performing work it contains. If Scientist A were to use this aspect of thermodynamics to support his position, how might Scientist B attempt to refute it?

• By suggesting that the Universe is not finite, but is instead infinite and therefore cannot be a closed system.

• By stating that stars have only a limited life span.

• By suggesting that gravitational force will prevent the Universe from exceeding escape velocity.

• By saying that dark energy fuels the acceleration ofn the Universes's expansion.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS3-4

Critical density is the value that determines whether or not the Universe will begin to contract before reaching escape velocity. Scientist A is most likely to say what of the following?

• Critical density is high enough to cause the Universe to contract..

• Critical density is not high enough to cause the Universe to contract.

• Critical density does not determine whether or not the Universe will contract.

• The Universe will reach escape velocity and then contract.

Which of the following statements will Scientist A and B most likely agree on?

• The Universe will contract before reaching escape velocity.

• The Universe will reach escape velocity.

• The Universe is expanding.

• The Bing Bang did not occur.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-2

Suppose it is discovered that the rate of the expansion of the Universe is decreasing. Which Scientist's position would this most likely support?

• Scientist A

• Scientist B

• Both Scientist A and B

• Neither Scientist A or B

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-2

The

Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way Galaxy are set to collide with one another in roughly 4 billion years. Does this fact argue for or against Scientist A's position or neither?

• It argues for Scientist A's position because the Universe's acceleration expansion causes the galaxies to expand into one another.

• It argues against Scientist A's position because the galaxies could not collide in a Universe that is expanding at an accelerated rate.

• Neither the two galaxies may be attracting one another faster than the Universe is expanding.

• Neither the two galaxies will not collide with one another.

If Scientist B's position is correct, what is most likely to occur nearing the end of the Universe's life?

• The Universe will have shrunk to an extremely small, dense singularity>

• The Universe will have expanded to trillions of times its current size, with nearly no entropy.

• The Universe will have expanded to trillions of times its current size, with nearly no free energy.

• The Universe's critical density will have become nearly nonexistent.