SamanthaScheidell

PHYS1010003
Prof.HowardDemars

StephenHawking

SamanthaScheidell
PHYS1010003
StephenHawking

OnJanuary8,1942alegendaryandbrilliantmindwasbornandnoone,not
evenhisparents,knewit.StephenHawkingwasbornintoafamilywithalongancestral
lineoffarmers.Thatparticularfamilybusinesswaschangedbyhisfatherwhenhewas
thefirsttoattendauniversityandbecomeadoctor.Hismotherwasthedaughterofa
Scottishdoctorandonemightsaythatitwasmedicine,andnotfarming,thatwasinhis
blood.Aswewouldcometofindout,neitherseemedtobe.
Hawkingatfirstglancedidnotappeartobeanastoundingintellectualbeing,
especiallythroughhisearlieryearsinschooloruniversity.Ithasbeenreportedthathe
couldoftenbefoundoutsocializingandavoidinghisstudies.Whilehewasintelligent
anddiddecentlywellinclasses,hestayedinpublicschools.Itwasntuntiltheendof
hisnormalschoolingwasapproachingthathebegantoshowinterestinmathematics
andphysics.
Attheageof17,Hawkingdecidedtobravetheuniversitiesandtookthe
entranceexamforOxford.Ascholarshipwasofferedandhebeganhiscollegiate
studies,onlyhedidntworkveryhard.Originallyhehadsetouttostudymathematics
buttheschooldidnotofferthatasacourseofstudysohechangedfocustophysics
instead.Eventhoughheonlystudiedaroundonehouradayandwastypicallyoffdoing

anythingelse,hegraduatedinthreeyearswithafirstclasshonorsdegreeinnatural
science.
CambridgecamenextforHawkinganditwasatthisgraduateschoolthathewas
hopefultoresearchcosmologyasthatwasasubjectnotalreadybeingworkedatthat
time.HissupervisoratCambridgewasDenisSciamabutitwasnosecretthathewas
disappointedinthatarrangement.HehadappliedtoworkunderFredHoyleandhad
beenveryhopefultohavehimasasupervisor.
UnfortunatelyitwasadiagnosisofAmyotrophicLateralSclerosisshortlyafterhe
reachedtheageof21thatsortofjumpstartedamoredeterminedpathforHawking.He
hadmetagirlthathewantedtosettledownwithandknewheneededtohaveagood
jobtosupportthebothofthem.Itwasthiseventandrealizationthatpromptedhimtogo
andfinishhisPh.D.
Hawkingbeganstudyingblackholesandwantedtofigureouthowquantum
fieldswouldscatteroffofthem.Itwasthroughthiscourseofstudythathediscovered
thatblackholesshowemission.Duetohisdiscoveryofthisparticleradiationcoming
fromabackhole,ithassincebeenreferredtoasHawkingRadiation.
Inoneofhismanyspeecheshestatesthat
blackholesain'tasblackastheyare
painted.Theyarenottheeternalprisonstheywereoncethought.Thingscangetout.
Throughoutthisparticularspeechhementionsthediscoverythathowmuchofhawking
radiationisemittedfromablackholeispurelydependentonitssize.Ablackholethe
sizeofoursunwouldgiveoffradiationbutitwouldbesoslowmovingandsuchsmall
amountsofitthatitwouldbebarely,ifnotimpossible,abletonotice.Howeverablack

holethesizeofamountainorhillwouldgiveoffenoughradiationthat,ifitwerepossible
tocontainanduse,wouldbeabletopowerelectricitytotheentireworld.Aroundthe
middleofhisspeechhesays,Peoplehavesearchedforminiblackholesofthismass,
buthavesofar,notfoundany.Thisisapity,becauseiftheyhad,Iwouldhavegota
Nobelprize..
Asingularityisdefinedas,alocationwherethequantitiesthatareusedto
measurethegravitationalfieldbecomeinfiniteinawaythatdoesnotdependonthe
coordinatesystem.Orinsimplerterms,anareainspacewhereallknownphysical
lawsarenolongerexistent.HawkingandRogerPenroseworkedtogetherdigging
furtherintoEinstein'sGeneralTheoryofRelativitywhichendedwithHawkingproving
theSingularityTheorem.Hefurtherprovedthatitwasasingularitywasinthemiddleof
everyblackholeandthatitwasasingularitythathadcausedthebeginningofthe
universe.
AsALScontinuedtocauseparalysisandledtoaninabilitytospeak,Hawking
stillcontinuedtoresearchthingssuchasquantumcosmology,cosmicinflation,and
evenbegantoinvestigatetheBigBangTheory.Overtimehehasgonebacktohis
earlierproposedtheoriesandchangedthemasmoreknowledgewasgained.Themore
welearnaboutspaceandtime,themorefiniteandperfectedthesetheoriescan
become.
ThroughoutHawking'slifewereceivedmanyaccolades,medals,andprizes.One
theawardsgiventohimwastheAlbertEinsteinAwardwhichisknownasthemost
prestigiousandhighestawardintheoreticalphysics.Hawkingwillalwaysbe

rememberedasanimportantmomentandmanforhisdiscoveriesinphysicsand
cosmology.Hehasmadegroundbreakingprogressinourknowledgeoftheuniverse
andthereisnoquestionastowhyheandhisworkwerethecenterofattentionat
STARMUS2016.

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