It is hypothesized that before the formation of the stars, when the universe first began, most of the matter in the universe consisted of what atoms?
Group of answer choices
The most common atoms hypothesized to be present in the early universe before the formation of stars are hydrogen and helium.
The hypothesized atoms that were present before the formation of stars in the early universe are primarily hydrogen and helium.
To find the answer to this question, we can apply our understanding of the Big Bang theory and the subsequent formation of atoms in the early universe.
According to the Big Bang theory, the universe began as an extremely hot and dense state approximately 13.8 billion years ago. At this early stage, the universe was mostly composed of elementary particles such as protons, neutrons, and electrons. As the universe expanded and cooled down, these particles combined to form the simplest and lightest atomic nuclei like hydrogen and helium.
Therefore, the answer to the question is that before the formation of stars, when the universe first began, most of the matter consisted of hydrogen and helium atoms. These two elements were the primary building blocks of matter in the early universe. Subsequent processes such as stellar nucleosynthesis and supernova explosions later produced heavier elements.