KABOOM!
or
How I Learned to Stop Worrying
and Love Explosions
Anshu Dubey, Jennifer Gaskins, Dan Siegal
March 4, 2005
THE BIG IDEA:
Explosions are sudden outbursts
of energy, and they come in all
sizes.
SCOPE Astro group | Center for the Presentation of Science | Dan Siegal, Jenny Gaskins
Exhibit Outline
What makes
things explode?
Explosions:
BIG & SMALL
The Big Bang
The First Explosion
SCOPE Astro group | Center for the Presentation of Science | Dan Siegal, Jenny Gaskins
What makes things explode?
CONCEPTS

Build up of pressure


Compression
Heat
 Too much compression or heat can cause an explosion!

Chain reaction

Each release of energy triggers more energy to be
released.
 A chain reaction that happens too fast can cause an
explosion!
SCOPE Astro group | Center for the Presentation of Science | Dan Siegal, Jenny Gaskins
What makes things explode?
VISUALS and ACTIVITIES
Compression
SCOPE Astro group | Center for the Presentation of Science | Dan Siegal, Jenny Gaskins
Heat
What makes things explode?
VISUALS and ACTIVITIES
Chain Reaction
Animation
(In Development)
SCOPE Astro group | Center for the Presentation of Science | Dan Siegal, Jenny Gaskins
Explosions: Big and Small
CONCEPT
Far away astrophysical phenomena become
accessible through direct comparison with
everyday experiences.
SCOPE Astro group | Center for the Presentation of Science | Dan Siegal, Jenny Gaskins
Explosions: Big and Small
VISUALS and ACTIVITIES
SCOPE Astro group | Center for the Presentation of Science | Dan Siegal, Jenny Gaskins
Explosions: Big and Small
VISUALS and ACTIVITIES
SCOPE Astro group | Center for the Presentation of Science | Dan Siegal, Jenny Gaskins
Explosions: Big and Small
VISUALS and ACTIVITIES
Eye candy: TV screens playing clips of
explosions from popular movies (Star
Wars, The Matrix, etc.) as a hook to
attract visitors

“Mission: Explode the Box” game:
in development

SCOPE Astro group | Center for the Presentation of Science | Dan Siegal, Jenny Gaskins
The Big Bang: The First Explosion
CONCEPTS

The Big Bang is the scientific model that
describes the beginning and evolution of our
Universe




in the beginning, every point in space was moving away from every
other point
the Universe was once much smaller, hotter, and denser it is now
... but there was no bang (i.e. no sound)!
The Big Bang describes a unique kind of
explosion


the Universe has no unique center
space itself is expanding
SCOPE Astro group | Center for the Presentation of Science | Dan Siegal, Jenny Gaskins
The Big Bang: The First Explosion
VISUALS and ACTIVITIES
Wherever you are, you’re at the center...
Before Expansion
After Expansion
SCOPE Astro group | Center for the Presentation of Science | Dan Siegal, Jenny Gaskins
The Big Bang: The First Explosion
VISUALS and ACTIVITIES
Wherever you are, you’re at the center...
SCOPE Astro group | Center for the Presentation of Science | Dan Siegal, Jenny Gaskins
The Big Bang: The First Explosion
VISUALS and ACTIVITIES
DASI in Antarctica
WMAP in space
SCOPE Astro group | Center for the Presentation of Science | Dan Siegal, Jenny Gaskins
The Big Bang: The First Explosion
VISUALS and ACTIVITIES




Artifacts: instrumentation from experiments
Videos: interviews with U of C scientists
CMB photon counter: see how many photons
are passing through you!
“Wanted: A Better Name for the Big Bang”



Based on what you’ve learned, do you think “The Big Bang” is a
good name for this scientific model?
Scientists have proposed other names, such as...
Can you come up with a better name? Post it on this board!
SCOPE Astro group | Center for the Presentation of Science | Dan Siegal, Jenny Gaskins
Explosions are sudden outbursts of
energy, and they come in all sizes.
What makes things explode?
 Explosions: Big and Small
 The Big Bang: The First Explosion

SCOPE Astro group | Center for the Presentation of Science | Dan Siegal, Jenny Gaskins