ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Acoustic scale

Okay kiddo, so imagine you're in a big room with your friends and you want to find out how far away they are from you. You could just ask them, but what if you couldn't hear them? That's where the acoustic scale comes in.

The acoustic scale is a way of measuring the size of the universe, just like you might measure the size of your room. But instead of using a ruler or measuring tape, scientists use sound waves.

You see, just like you can hear your friends' voices in a room, there are sound waves in the universe that scientists can listen to. These sound waves were produced right after the Big Bang, when the universe was just getting started.

By studying these sound waves, scientists can learn a lot about the universe, like how big it is and how it's changing over time. And they can use the acoustic scale to make this even easier.

The acoustic scale is a bit like a ruler that scientists use to measure how far away things are in the universe. Think of it like this: imagine you're standing in the middle of a big field, and you want to find out how far away the trees are. You could try counting your steps, but that would take a long time and you might make mistakes.

Instead, you could use a ruler to measure the distance between you and the trees. This is a lot faster and more accurate. And that's exactly what scientists do with the acoustic scale.

They use the sound waves in the universe like a ruler to measure how far away galaxies and other objects are. This can help them understand how the universe is expanding and changing over time.

So in summary, the acoustic scale is like a ruler that scientists use to measure how far away things are in the universe, using sound waves that were produced right after the Big Bang.
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