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A black hole is a region of space from which nothing, including light, can escape. According to the general theory of relativity, it is the result of the curving of spacetime caused by a very dense mass.

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Key Facts & Information

DEFINITION AND CONCEPT

  • A black hole is a dense region in space from which no particles or even light can escape due to its gravitational pull. 
  • When a star dies as a result of a supernova explosion, black holes occur from space.
  • Furthermore, a black hole cannot be seen with the naked eye due to the strong gravitational pull that causes light to enter the black hole’s center. Scientists, on the other hand, have set up space telescopes to observe and facilitate the exploration of black holes.
  • Pierre Simon Laplace proposed the concept of an object from which light cannot escape, for example, a black hole in 1795. Laplace calculated, using Newton’s Theory of Relativity, that if an object was compressed to a small enough radius, its escape velocity would be faster than the speed of light.
  • Black holes are classified into four types known as stellar, intermediate, supermassive, and miniature. The most well-known way for a black hole to form is through stellar death. 
  • When stars reach the end of their lives, the majority of them will inflate, eventually disappear, and cool to the point of constructing white dwarfs.
  • The two types of Black holes are as follows: 
    • The Schwarzschild is the most basic type of black hole as its core does not rotate and the only features of this black hole is a singularity and an event horizon. 
    • The Kerr black hole is considered to be the most common type of black hole found in space; unlike the Schwarzschild black hole, it rotates because the star from which it was formed also rotates.

DEFINITION AND CONCEPT

  • In 1915, Albert Einstein was able to develop his Theory of General Relativity. Black holes were said to have been discovered as a result of Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which demonstrated that when a star dies, it leaves a small, dense remnant behind.
  • Due to the pull of gravity that overwhelms other forces, it then creates a black hole if the core’s mass exceeds about three times the mass of the Sun, according to the equations.
  • Months later after Einstein’s theory, Karl Schwarzschild was able to come up with a solution to the equations of the Einstein field that describes the field of gravity of point and spherical mass.
  • On the other hand, following the Big Bang, the universe is said to have produced a slew of tiny black holes. Since these features would be massive objects that emit no light, some scientists believe they could account for dark matter, the enigmatic material that accounts for the vast majority of matter in the universe.
  • The idea is controversial, however, because data from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) has ruled out a universe containing a number of relatively tiny black holes. 
  • Medium-sized black holes may still exist, though observations show that they account for only 1% to 10% of dark matter.

PROPERTIES AND STRUCTURE

  • Properties
    • Black holes, like regular stars, planets, and other celestial bodies, have physical properties that set them apart from the rest. However, due to the extraordinary nature of a black hole, particularly the fact that these holes are black and invisible, very few of its properties can be measured directly from the outside.
  • A black hole has three measurable properties, according to Einstein’s theory: mass, rotation, and charge.
  • The mass of a black hole is the first and most obvious measurable property. Because black holes contain the majority of the matter of a massive star trapped in an incomprehensibly small space, they must be extremely massive and dense.
  • When a black hole interacts with other objects, the interactions can become more complicated.
  • In the general relativity theory, this is referred to as the no-hair theorem. The basic idea behind this is that as an object collapses into a black hole, its material properties become immeasurable (and thus unknowable).
  • Structures
    • On the other hand, despite the fact that black holes come in a variety of masses and sizes, their structures are all the same. The entire mass of a black hole is largely focused on a somewhat extremely tiny and dense point known as a “singularity.”
  • A singularity is formed when matter is so tightly compressed that no other force of nature can balance it. 
  • The outward pressure of nuclear reactions in the core of a “normal” star, such as the Sun, counteracts gravity’s inward pull. Other forces prevent collapsed stars, also known as white dwarfs or neutron stars, from collapsing completely.
  • The Event Horizon, on the other hand, is the black hole’s outermost boundary. It’s a black hole’s closest thing to a surface. However, it is not a physical surface but an invisible bubble in space. 
  • The event horizon denotes the point beyond which there is no turning back. Nothing can escape a black hole once it has passed through its event horizon, and we will never know what happens inside. 

HOW BLACK HOLES WORK

  • Astronomers believe that supermassive black holes are located at the heart of nearly all large galaxies, including the Milky Way. Thus, astronomers detect these holes by observing the effects they have on nearby stars and gases.
  • As black holes devour nearby stars, their massive gravitational and magnetic forces heat up the gas and dust in their vicinity, causing it to emit radiation.
  • What happens inside a black hole is uncertain, even our present physics theories do not apply in the presence of a singularity.
  • Time begins to slow astronomically at the event horizon of a black hole. The deeper you go into a black hole, the more distorted time becomes. 
  • Some theories even propose that if you can manage to survive entering into a black hole, the inside will produce images of the future and the past at the same time, which is consistent with the multiverse theory of the universe.
  • It is believed that black holes helped in the evolution of the Universe and that there would be no life on Earth today if they did not exist. 

Black Hole Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Black Hole across 28 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about a Black Hole which is a region of space from which nothing, including light, can escape.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Black Hole Facts
  • The Forgotten Genius
  • Discovery
  • Black Hole is Formed
  • Details of Formation
  • Blach Hole at Home
  • Sizes of Black Holes
  • Picture Narrative
  • Elegy of a Dying Star
  • Light Years Away
  • Black Hole Review
  • Word Exercises

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Link will appear as Black Hole Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 27, 2017

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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