Hawking is a controversial man, some people think he is one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century, some people think that he is just a popular science writer, and his scientific contributions cannot be compared with physics. What kind of person is Hawking? Today we will take a look.
Hawking (1942-2018) is a famous British physicist, mathematician and popular science author. Hawking suffered from muscular dystrophy at the age of 21, was paralyzed and could not speak since 1985, with only three fingers to move. However, he overcame many difficulties and made outstanding contributions in astronomy and popular science.
Hawking Radiation
In 1973, Hawking found that black holes emit outward radiation, and the temperature of radiation is inversely proportional to mass. The temperature of the black hole will become higher and higher due to radiation, and finally the explosion will end.
Oddity theorem
Hawking and Penrose proved the oddity theorem. At the beginning of the cosmic expansion phase, space-time is highly distorted and has a very small radius of curvature. The singularity of the Big Bang is where time begins, and the singularity of a black hole is where time ends.
The most popular popular science book: "A Brief History of Time"
In 1988, Hawking's popular science book "A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to the Black Hole" was released, studying black holes and exploring the origin and fate of the universe. The book has been translated into more than forty languages and is a worldwide bestseller. But the content of the book is profound and difficult for ordinary readers to understand. In 2001, The Universe in the Shell was published, a companion to A Brief History of Time, describing the origins of the universe in simplified language and a large number of pictures. For a time, black holes, white holes, wormholes, multi-dimensional space-time, and space-time travel became hot words.
Hawking's life is legendary. In 1964, Hawking married Jane and had three children, and their marriage lasted until 1990. In 1995, Hawking married his personal nurse, Elaine, and their marriage lasted until 2006. Hawking then remarried his ex-wife.
From the age of 21, Hawking's body deteriorated, his body was incapacitated, and by the 1970s, his language function deteriorated, and only his relatives and friends could barely understand him. In order to communicate with others, you must rely on translators. By the 1980s, his health was even more inconvenient, he needed to take turns to take care of nurses, he was completely incapable of speaking, and he used language synthesizers and computers to communicate with the outside world. After 2005, health deteriorated, and communication devices could only be controlled by the cheek muscles, and artificial respirators were required. None of this limited his brain's thinking.
In 2018, Hawking's legendary life came to an end. His achievements in physics and his strong personality became a permanent treasure for the world!