Question

Complete the following sentence correctly. Drag words from the left to the blanks on the right. Compared to when the cosmic microwave background was first released, the radiation of the cosmic microwave background today is blank and has most of its photons at blank.

a) Diminished; shorter wavelengths
b) Intensified; longer wavelengths
c) Uniform; longer wavelengths
d) Enhanced; shorter wavelengths

Answer 1

The correct completion of the sentence is that the cosmic microwave background radiation today is diminished and has most of its photons at longer wavelengths, due to the expansion of the universe since its release.

Step-by-step explanation:

Compared to when the cosmic microwave background was first released, the radiation of the cosmic microwave background today is diminished and has most of its photons at longer wavelengths. This occurs because the universe has expanded since the cosmic microwave background was first released, causing the wavelengths of the radiation to stretch, which, according to Wien's law, means that the peak intensity shifts to longer wavelengths. This expansion and the stretching of light waves are consistent with the observed redshift in distant galaxies and provide strong evidence for the Big Bang theory.