Recently, scientists observed the merger of giant 'blackholes' billions of light-years away from the Earth. What is the significance of this observation?
- A.'Higgs boson particles' were detected.
- B.'Gravitational waves' were detected.
- C.Possibility of inter-galactic space travel through 'wormhole' was confirmed.
- D.It enabled the scientists to understand 'singularity'.
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, 'Gravitational waves' were detected. The merger of two black holes sent out ripples in space-time, and catching those ripples was the first direct detection of gravitational waves. Albert Einstein predicted such waves in 1916 from his general theory of relativity, but they are so faint that they escaped detection for a century. In September 2015 the two LIGO detectors in the United States picked up the signal of two black holes, each many times heavier than the Sun, spiralling into each other about 1.3 billion light-years away. Rainer Weiss, Barry Barish and Kip Thorne received the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics for this work, and India is building a third LIGO observatory, LIGO-India, in Hingoli district of Maharashtra. Option A is wrong because the Higgs boson was found in 2012 at CERN's Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator. Option C is wrong because wormholes remain purely theoretical. Option D is wrong because the singularity inside a black hole cannot be observed. Exam tip: LIGO, 2015, black hole merger, gravitational waves, Nobel 2017.
Practice Questions
View allHindustan Aeronautics Limited handed over the first two indigenously designed and manufactured light combat aircrafts to the Indian Air Force in 2016. What is the name of these new combat aircrafts?
- A.Marut
- B.Garud
- C.Tejas
- D.Pushpak
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Tejas is India's indigenous Light Combat Aircraft, and the first two were handed over to the Indian Air Force on 1 July 2016 to form No. 45 Squadron, the Flying Daggers.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements about Bitcoin is/are correct? 1. It is a decentralized virtual currency. 2. It is generated through complex computer software systems. 3. The Reserve Bank of India recognized it as a legal tender in January 2016. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- A.1 only
- B.1 and 2 only
- C.2 and 3 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
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Bitcoin is a decentralised digital currency created by computer software, but the Reserve Bank of India has never made it legal tender.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following is India's first indigenously designed and developed long-range subsonic cruise missile which can be deployed from multiple platforms?
- A.Astra
- B.Akash
- C.Nirbhay
- D.Shankhnaad
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Nirbhay is the long-range subsonic cruise missile designed and developed in India by the DRDO. Nirbhay was developed by DRDO's Aeronautical Development Establishment in Bengaluru.
Read the full explanation →"Million Minds Augmenting National Aspirations and Knowledge" (MANAK), a scheme under the flagship programme, Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE), caters to :
- A.The college students studying in the undergraduate programme in the age group of 19 - 25 years.
- B.The research scholars in recognized research laboratories of national importance.
- C.The college teachers of the country.
- D.The school children studying in classes 6 - 10 in the age group of 10 - 15 years.
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INSPIRE-MANAK is the school-level part of INSPIRE. INSPIRE is run by the Department of Science and Technology to draw young talent into science.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements is not correct?
- A.BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile made by India and Russian Federation.
- B.The name BrahMos came from two rivers, Brahmaputra of India and Moskva of Russia.
- C.Indian military scientists were capable of integrating BrahMos cruise missile with Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter.
- D.Defence Research and Development Organization is the manufacturer of Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter.
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The Sukhoi-30 MKI is not made by DRDO; it was designed by Russia's Sukhoi bureau and is built in India under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at Nashik.
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