Which of the following statements best explains what we mean when we say that the electroweak and strong forces "froze out" at 10- 38 second after the Big Bang?
A)Following this time, neither the strong nor electroweak forces were ever important in the universe again.
B)These forces are important only at temperatures below the freezing point of water-a temperature that the universe reached at an age of about at 10- 38 second.
C)Freezing out was a term coined by particle physicists who think that the Big Bang theory is really cool.
D)These two forces first became distinct at this time.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

At 10-38 second after the Big Bang, the temperature of the universe was so high that the electroweak and strong forces were not distinct from each other. As the universe expanded and cooled, these two forces separated and became distinct, which is known as the "freezing out" of these forces. Therefore, option D, "These two forces first became distinct at this time," best explains what we mean when we say that the electroweak and strong forces "froze out" at 10-38 second after the Big Bang.

Which of the Following Statements Best Explains What We Mean