Meaning & use
cosmic background radiation
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountabletechnicalphysics
Weak microwave radiation filling the universe, left over from the hot early period after the big bang.
Grammar: Uncountable and usually used with 'the': the cosmic background radiation.
Patterns
- the cosmic background radiation
- measure cosmic background radiation
- cosmic background radiation comes from something
Astronomers study the cosmic background radiation to learn about the early universe.
The cosmic background radiation is almost the same in every direction we look.
Satellites have measured tiny variations in the cosmic background radiation with great precision.
Common combinations
- the cosmic background radiation
- The cosmic background radiation fills the whole sky.
- measure cosmic background radiation
- Scientists measure cosmic background radiation with sensitive radio instruments.
- the discovery of cosmic background radiation
- The discovery of cosmic background radiation supported the big bang theory.
- temperature of the cosmic background radiation
- The temperature of the cosmic background radiation is about 2.7 kelvin.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cosmic microwave background
- The more common modern name for the same radiation, especially in news reports and physics papers.
- relic radiation
- An older, less common term for the same leftover radiation from the early universe.
Word family
- cosmic adjective
- Relating to the universe as a whole.
- cosmology noun
- The scientific study of the origin and structure of the universe.
- cosmologist noun
- A scientist who studies the universe as a whole.
Practice
Which sentence uses the term correctly?
Choose one answer.
The term is uncountable and takes a singular verb, so 'Scientists study the cosmic background radiation' is correct. Option 0 wrongly uses a plural verb, and options 2 and 3 treat it as a countable object.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cosmic background radiation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.