Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking was a British scientist, professor, and writer who did pioneering work in physics and cosmology and helped  make science available to everyone. 

 

While studying cosmology at the University of Cambridge, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the age of 21. Part of his life story is portrayed in the 2014 movie Theory of Everything.  

Hawking was born on January 8, 1942 in Oxford, England. His birthday also celebrated the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death. This is the  source of long-standing pride for renowned physicists. Hawking, the  eldest of four children, Frank and Isobel Hawking, was born into a family of thinkers. 

 

His Scottish mother went on to Oxford University in the 1930s. At that time, few women were able to go to college. Another Oxford graduate, his father, was a prominent medical researcher specializing in tropical diseases. 

Hawking enrolled in University College at Oxford University  at the age of 17. He expressed his desire to study mathematics, but Hawking became particularly interested in physics and cosmology because Oxford did not offer a degree on that subject.

According to Hawking, he didn't spend much time studying. He later calculated that he spent an average of about an hour a day at school. Still, he didn't really have to do anything more. In 1962 he graduated with an honors degree in  science and then received his PhD from Trinity Hall at the University of Cambridge. In cosmology.  

At the age of 21, Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lugeric's disease). In a very simple sense, the nerves that control his muscles shut down. The doctor gave him a time-to-live of two and a half years. 

Hawking's body may have been weak, but his intellect has remained sharp. Two years after getting his PhD, he had difficulty walking and speaking, but it was clear that his illness progressed slower than the doctor initially feared. Meanwhile, his engagement with Jane Wilde, who later had three children, Robert, Lucy, and Tim, renewed his urge to truly advance physics. Shortly thereafter, instead of succumbing to depression as others do, he began to address some of the most basic questions about the physical properties of the universe. Over time, he has become exceptionally successful with the most severe disabilities. Contrary to established medical opinion, he managed to live for another 55 years. 

When he began to lose use of his limbs in 1966, he developed a way to visualize head problems  to reach a solution, rather than writing down the equation. Some of his colleagues felt that this idea led to his wonderful discoveries. It was around this time that Hawking began studying black hole physics, one of the most eccentric scientific ideas. It has been suggested that there are many objects that contain up to 1 billion tonnes of mass but occupy only proton space. 

These objects, called small black holes, need to be governed by the laws of relativity for their enormous mass and gravity, while they need to apply the laws of quantum mechanics due to their small size. It's unique. Hawking also developed an extreme view of Einstein's general theory of relativity. This shows that giant stars collapse to zero size and infinite density. This is a theory known as "uniqueness". 

In 1970, Hawking's work on black holes helped prove the idea of ​​the "Big Bang" in the birth of the universe. The Big Bang theory was developed in the 1940s and not all cosmologists  accepted it.  

 Working with mathematician Roger Penrose, Hawking realized that black holes were, on the contrary, like the Big Bang. So the math he used to explain black holes also explained the Big Bang.  

It was an important moment to show that the Big Bang really happened. 

Hawking was shining professionally while his physique deteriorated.

He then completed a book entitled "A Brief History of Time", which  sold over 10 million copies. This book has become one of the greatest sellers of all time. 

 

Hawking said it was reasonable to believe that  other planets had intellectual life, and warned that  inhabitants of other planets could invade the Earth and confiscate its resources.