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With reference to gravitational waves, which of the following statements is/are correct?
  1. All gravitational waves are as old as the Big Bang itself.
  2. Gravitational waves travel at the speed of sound and squeeze and stretch anything in their path.
  3. The first gravitational wave was detected by LIGO only in 2015.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
  • a)
    3 only
  • b)
    1 and 2 only
  • c)
    2 and 3 only
  • d)
    1, 2 and 3
Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?
Verified Answer
With reference to gravitational waves, which of the following statemen...
Gravitational waves are 'ripples' in space-time caused by some of the most violent and energetic processes
in the Universe. They are created when:
  • The strongest gravitational waves are produced by cataclysmic events such as colliding black holes, supernovae (massive stars exploding at the end of their lifetimes), and colliding neutron stars.
  • Other waves are predicted to be caused by the rotation of neutron stars that are not perfect spheres.
  • Some are possibly created even by the Big Bang and are the remnants of gravitational radiation created then. So not all Gravitational waves are as old as Big Bang. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
They travel at the speed of light, gravitational waves squeeze and stretch anything in their path. Hence
statement 2 is not correct.
Gravitational waves were proposed by Albert Einstein in his General Theory of Relativity over a
century ago. It was only in 2015, however, that the first gravitational wave was actually detected — by
LIGO. Since then, there have been a number of subsequent detections of gravitational waves. Hence
statement 3 is correct.
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Most Upvoted Answer
With reference to gravitational waves, which of the following statemen...
Gravitational waves are a fascinating aspect of the universe that were predicted by Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. They are ripples in the fabric of spacetime that are created by the acceleration of massive objects, such as black holes or neutron stars. Let's analyze each statement and determine their correctness:

1. All gravitational waves are as old as the Big Bang itself.
This statement is incorrect. Gravitational waves are not as old as the Big Bang. The Big Bang is believed to have occurred approximately 13.8 billion years ago, while the detection of gravitational waves by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in 2015 was the first direct evidence of their existence. Gravitational waves can be generated by events that occurred in the past, but they are not themselves as old as the Big Bang.

2. Gravitational waves travel at the speed of sound and squeeze and stretch anything in their path.
This statement is incorrect. Gravitational waves do not travel at the speed of sound. They propagate at the speed of light, which is approximately 300,000 kilometers per second. Unlike sound waves, which require a medium like air or water to propagate, gravitational waves can travel through the vacuum of space. When gravitational waves pass through an object, they cause it to be squeezed and stretched as spacetime itself is distorted.

3. The first gravitational wave was detected by LIGO only in 2015.
This statement is correct. The first direct detection of gravitational waves was made by the LIGO observatory in 2015. LIGO consists of two widely separated interferometers, one in Hanford, Washington, and the other in Livingston, Louisiana. The detection was made possible by the Advanced LIGO detectors, which were upgraded to increase their sensitivity. The gravitational waves detected in 2015 were generated by the merger of two black holes located approximately 1.3 billion light-years away.

In conclusion, the correct statement is option A: 3 only. Gravitational waves are not as old as the Big Bang, they travel at the speed of light, and the first direct detection was made by LIGO in 2015.
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With reference to gravitational waves, which of the following statements is/are correct? All gravitational waves are as old as the Big Bang itself. Gravitational waves travel at the speed of sound and squeeze and stretch anything in their path. The first gravitational wave was detected by LIGO only in 2015.Select the correct answer using the code given below.a)3 onlyb)1 and 2 onlyc)2 and 3 onlyd)1, 2 and 3Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?
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