Chapter 1
The ultimate cosmic growth spurt
Chapter 2
Cooking the cosmic soup
Chapter 3
Building the first blocks
Chapter 4
The first elements are baked
YOUR GOAL
Master of The first five minutes of everything
Ch 1 · The ultimate cosmic growth spurt
tyna Inflation stretched subatomic quantum ripples from hot energy fields, creating density variations that gravity pulled together into stars
BETA
tyna Pop expanding cosmic particles to discover how the universe formed in its first five minutes.
Fun Fact
Cosmic expansion: During inflation, the universe expanded from smaller than a proton to about the size of a marble in less than a trillionth of a second.
Glossary
inflation (noun)
A general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money. In 1980, physicist Alan Guth proposed that the newborn universe expanded exponentially in less than a second.
A general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money. In 1980, physicist Alan Guth proposed that the newborn universe expanded exponentially in less than a second.
Quiz
What did the tiny quantum fluctuations in the early universe eventually become after being stretched by cosmic inflation?
Quiz
Which physicist proposed the theory of cosmic inflation in 1980 to explain the flatness of the universe?
Quiz
What is the name of the earliest period of the universe, lasting from 0 to 10^-43 seconds?
Quiz
How many fundamental forces of nature are believed to have been unified during the Planck epoch?
Quiz
What is the name of the process that flooded the cold, post-inflation universe with hot matter and radiation?