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9th grade Redshift and the expanding universe worksheet

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Redshift and the expanding universe

Grade 9 Science Worksheet

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. A galaxy's hydrogen line (656.3 nm in the lab) is seen at 662.9 nm. Using speed ≈ z × 300,000 km/s, about how fast is it receding, by Bo's math?

    • About 1,980,000 km/s
    • About 6.6 km/s
    • About 3,000 km/s toward us
    • About 3,000 km/s
  2. A galaxy has z = 0.02. Where should its hydrogen line (656.3 nm in the lab) appear, by Jun's math?

    • About 669.4 nm
    • About 643.2 nm
    • About 656.3 nm, unchanged
    • About 13.1 nm
  3. Read this first

    Galaxies (model data)

    GalaxyDistance (Mpc)Speed away (km/s)
    P201,400
    Q503,500
    R1007,000
    S20014,000
  4. Using the table, about how fast is galaxy S (200 Mpc) moving compared with galaxy R (100 Mpc), by Kira's reading?

    • About twice as fast
    • About 100 times as fast
    • The same speed, since everything stretches equally
    • About half as fast
  5. Speed = H0 × distance; H0 about 67 to 73 km/s/Mpc; distance 100 Mpc. Sources put H0 at about 67 to 73 km/s/Mpc. A galaxy is 100 Mpc away. In what range is its speed, by Luz's math?

    • About 6,700 to 7,300 km/s
    • About 67,000 to 73,000 km/s
    • About 0.67 to 0.73 km/s
    • About 67 to 73 km/s
  6. Distance = speed ÷ H0; speed 7,000 km/s; H0 about 67 to 73 km/s/Mpc. A galaxy recedes at 7,000 km/s. With H0 about 67 to 73 km/s/Mpc, about how far away is it, by Milo's math?

    • About 100 Mpc (96 to 104 across the range)
    • About 490,000 Mpc
    • About 10 Mpc
    • About 1,000 Mpc
  7. Why do distant galaxies all appear to rush away from us, by Noah's reading?

    • Their light is turning red as they age
    • They were thrown out from our galaxy
    • They are falling toward a central point
    • Space itself is stretching between the galaxies
  8. Stretching sheet model

    PairBefore (cm)After (cm)
    near pair12
    far pair36
  9. On a stretching sheet, dots 1 cm apart become 2 cm apart, and dots 3 cm apart become 6 cm apart, in the same time. What does this model show, by Pia's reading?

    • Nearer dots separate faster
    • Farther dots separate faster, as in Hubble's law
    • Each pair separates equally
    • The dots move from one central dot
  10. Galaxies in a nearby cluster stay together while distant clusters move apart. Why, by Ren's reading?

    • Everything expands, but too slowly to see
    • The cluster is moving toward us
    • Gravity holds the cluster together
    • The cluster is at the center of the universe
  11. Galaxies (model data)

    GalaxyDistance (Mpc)Speed away (km/s)
    P201,400
    Q503,500
    R1007,000
    S20014,000
  12. Hubble published the link between galaxy distance and speed in 1929. Which observation supported it, by Tala's reading?

    • Farther galaxies looked redder in color
    • Farther galaxies showed larger redshifts
    • Nearer galaxies showed larger redshifts
    • Farther galaxies showed larger blueshifts
  13. What is the slope of the table's speed-against-distance line, by Ari's math?

    • −70 km/s/Mpc
    • 7,000 km/s
    • 70 km/s/Mpc
    • 0.014 Mpc per km/s
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9th grade Redshift and the expanding universe worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Redshift and the expanding universe. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can tell redshift from blueshift and compute z and a speed from a shifted line.
  • I can use Hubble's law, speed = H0 × distance, both ways, giving answers that hold for H0 of 67 to 73 km/s/Mpc.
  • I can explain the expansion as stretching space with no center, and why gravity-bound systems do not expand.

Standard: HS-ESS1-2

Words to know

redshift: Lines shifted to longer wavelengths because the source moves away

blueshift: Lines shifted to shorter wavelengths because the source comes closer

z: Shift divided by the rest wavelength

Hubble's law: Speed away equals H0 times distance

megaparsec (Mpc): About 3.26 million light-years

Common mistakes

Your child reversed the shift. Light from a source moving away is stretched to longer, redder wavelengths (redshift); from a source coming closer, to shorter, bluer ones (blueshift).

Your child read redshift as the galaxy's color. Redshift means the lines sit at longer wavelengths than in the lab; a redshifted galaxy need not look red.

Your child reversed Hubble's law. Farther galaxies move away faster: speed = H0 × distance.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with redshift and the expanding universe?

Your child reversed the shift. Light from a source moving away is stretched to longer, redder wavelengths (redshift); from a source coming closer, to shorter, bluer ones (blueshift).

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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