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The great astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered that all

Chapter 3, Problem 63

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QUESTION:

The great astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered that all distant galaxies are receding from our Milky Way Galaxy with velocities proportional to their distances. It appears to an observer on the Earth that we are at the center of an expanding universe. Figure \(3.64\) illustrates this for five galaxies lying along a straight line, with the Milky Way Galaxy at the center. Using the data from the figure, calculate the velocities:

(a) relative to galaxy \(2\) and

(b) relative to galaxy \(5\).

The results mean that observers on all galaxies will see themselves at the center of the expanding universe, and they would likely be aware of relative velocities, concluding that it is not possible to locate the center of expansion with the given information.

Figure \(3.64\) Five galaxies on a straight line, showing their distances and velocities relative to the Milky Way \((MW)\) Galaxy. The distances are in millions of light years \((Mly)\), where a light year is the distance light travels in one year. The velocities are nearly proportional to the distances. The sizes of the galaxies are greatly exaggerated; an average galaxy is about \(0.1 Mly\) across.

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QUESTION:

The great astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered that all distant galaxies are receding from our Milky Way Galaxy with velocities proportional to their distances. It appears to an observer on the Earth that we are at the center of an expanding universe. Figure \(3.64\) illustrates this for five galaxies lying along a straight line, with the Milky Way Galaxy at the center. Using the data from the figure, calculate the velocities:

(a) relative to galaxy \(2\) and

(b) relative to galaxy \(5\).

The results mean that observers on all galaxies will see themselves at the center of the expanding universe, and they would likely be aware of relative velocities, concluding that it is not possible to locate the center of expansion with the given information.

Figure \(3.64\) Five galaxies on a straight line, showing their distances and velocities relative to the Milky Way \((MW)\) Galaxy. The distances are in millions of light years \((Mly)\), where a light year is the distance light travels in one year. The velocities are nearly proportional to the distances. The sizes of the galaxies are greatly exaggerated; an average galaxy is about \(0.1 Mly\) across.

ANSWER:

Step 1 of 5

In the given problem, relative velocities are given for five different galaxies as shown in the figure below. The given velocities of the galaxies are relative to galaxy 3. Here we need to calculate the velocities of galaxies relative to galaxy 2 and galaxy 5 using the concept of relative velocity.

1.PNG

Relativity is the branch in which we study about how different observers measure the same process, when both the observes move relative to each other. Whereas relative velocity is the velocity of an object measured from a particular reference frame and it will vary as the refernce frame changes.

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