A scientific review panel examines an archived prediction about the Universe. The Big Bang theory predicted that weak microwave radiation should reach the Earth from every direction. This prediction was published before astronomers detected the radiation. The Steady State theory did not predict this radiation.
Which statement gives the best scientific interpretation of this sequence?
The microwave result would have counted for more if the Big Bang explanation had been written after the radiation was measured.
The microwave result supports both theories equally because both theories already accounted for the expansion of the Universe.
Because it was confirmed after being made in advance, the microwave result gives the Big Bang theory more support than the Steady State theory.
The microwave result cannot count as evidence because theories about the origin of the Universe cannot be tested in a laboratory.
94 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Physics 7.2 The Universe and red-shift, covering 7.2.1 Big Bang and Steady State theories, 7.2.2 Evidence for the Big Bang, 7.2.3 The Doppler effect and red-shift, 7.2.4 Red-shift as evidence for an expanding Universe, and 7.2.5 The CMB and the accepted model. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.