Hawking lost his language ability in 1985, and the only tool to express his thoughts was a computer speech synthesizer. He used a few movable fingers to manipulate a special mouse to select letters and words on the computer screen to make sentences, and then played the sound through the computer. Usually it takes 5 or 6 minutes to make a sentence, and it takes 10 day to synthesize an hour of recorded speech. A Brief History of Time was written in 1988. By the end of 1995 and 10, the book has been translated into dozens of languages and the Chinese version has been published.
He is the author of Large-scale Structure of Space-time (co-authored with 1973), General Relativity: A Century Review of Einstein (co-edited with 1979), Hyperspace and Hypergravity (co-edited with 198 1), and Cosmic
1990 divorced his wife Jane Wilde after 25 years of marriage. 1September 199516th, married his nurse Elaine Mei Sen.
Professor Stephen Hawking is the most famous physicist in the world today. He is famous for his black hole theory and "big"
The founder of the explosion theory and the author of the famous A Brief History of Time. Currently studying mathematics at Cambridge University.
Chairman Xin, this position was Newton's before his death.
Stephen Hawking (1942-)
Stephen hawking, a British physicist, has spent his whole life studying the space-time and the Big Bang principle of the origin of the universe, which is no longer applicable to the general physical theorem of black holes. His prediction that black holes can emit radiation (now called Hawking radiation) is now an accepted hypothesis. His research work is far less well-known in the scientific community than his best-selling book A Brief History of Time. His best-selling book has sold 25 million copies, giving a lot of introduction to quantum physics and relativity.
1942 65438+1October 8th
Born in Oxford, England.
1962
After completing the physics degree course at Oxford University, he went to Cambridge University for postgraduate study. British astronomer Fred Hoyle (19 15-), the hero of Hawking's youth, is a professor of astronomy here. Hawking was diagnosed with motor neuron disease.
1965
Be awarded a doctorate. His research shows that the mathematical equation used to explain the collapse of black holes can also explain the expansion of the universe from a point.
1970
Hawking studied the characteristics of black holes. He predicted that the radiation from black holes (now called Hawking radiation) and the surface area of black holes would never decrease.
1974
Elected as a member of the Royal Society. He went on to prove that black holes have temperature, black holes emit thermal radiation, and gasification will lead to mass loss.
1980
Lucas, a professor of mathematics at Cambridge University (isaac newton once held this position).
1988
The publication of A Brief History of Time has become a bestseller of quantum physics and relativity.
1996 till now
Continue to work at Cambridge University.
Stephen Hawking completely changed our views on physics, the universe and reality itself in his excellent bestseller A Brief History of Time. This is widely regarded as the most outstanding theoretical physicist since Einstein, and shows us the most important contemporary scientific thought about the universe. Now Stephen Hawking has turned to explore the darkest areas in time and space ... which reveals a series of extraordinary possibilities for us to understand the universe. Professor Hawking has traveled in the strange field of outer space, and has made in-depth discussions on distant galaxies, black holes, quarks, grand unified theory, "seasoning" particles and "rotating" particles, antimatter and "arrow of time". Its unexpected significance has aroused great interest. Global sales of stephen hawking's scientific work A Brief History of Time-From BIGBANG to Black Hole 1000.
Stephen Hawking attributed the popularity of his books to two factors: first, human curiosity about their own sources; Second, the public is always looking for heroes. Hawking obviously fulfilled these two wishes. From 65438 to 0950, Stephen entered the local private school St. St. Albans School at the age of 8. There, he likes to make friends who are as interested in classical music as he is; I like the wonderful books written by Kingsley Aymis, aldous huxley and C. S.Lewis. They like to discuss things related to their idol, literary activist and math genius Bertrand Russell. More important than homework is their English crossword puzzle. Even built a logical radio computer. This group's fierce debate about truth and God was replaced by exploring mysterious events and extra sensory perception.
Similarly, as an Oxford University student aged 17, Hawking is interested in becoming the fearless helmsman of the eight-person dragon boat team, rather than pursuing a degree in mathematics and physics. Celebrating victory with a large glass of ale, Hawking admitted that he only spent 1 hour on average every day to study for his bachelor's degree. So he was asked to be interviewed by a group of examiners, who decided whether he would get a first-class honorary degree or a second-class honorary degree, which would determine whether he was qualified to study for a doctorate in philosophy at Cambridge University.
Hawking considered two possible doctoral research fields: elementary particles and cosmology, and studied them separately from small to large. He chose cosmology because cosmology can be expressed by equations, and it is also the mathematical basis for testing the data collected from telescopes and space probes. But cosmology can also be studied only with the mind. Cosmology is the "greatest science" because it includes the creation, evolution and destruction of the universe.
Professor Hawking's physical condition is well known. At the age of 2 1 year, he was diagnosed with a rare and incurable motor neuropathy called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). 1963, the doctor said he could only live for two and a half years. He admitted that when he faced this fatal challenge, he was once very tired of life. After learning that his weak illness was hopeless, Hawking experienced an unforgettable dream in the hospital and decided "... I will do something decent for my death anyway". Over the years, he shattered the doctor's prediction, and he didn't think his shrinking ALS was just "unfortunate". His persistence and firmness made John Boslaugh, the author of Stephen Hawking's The Universe Beyond Black Holes, call him "the strongest man I have ever met".
Hawking claimed: "Fortunately, I chose theoretical physics because it is enough to study it with my mind." Readers of A Brief History of Time confirmed that although Hawking could not work with paper and pen, he was paid to express his thoughts with the help of mental images that could be vividly depicted on paper. Hawking's method is more intuitive than the traditional scientific method which requires hypothesis, experiment and observation. When writer Dennis Overby asked Hawking how to work with his mind, he replied: I rely heavily on intuition in my work. Well, it should be right to think about an idea. Then, I tried to prove it ... sometimes I found that the original idea was wrong, but it led to new ideas. I find that discussing with others is very beneficial to my mind. Even if they don't contribute any ideas, it is very helpful for me to explain them to others.
Hawking soars in the universe with his keen mind. He has never been interested in observing astronomy, only observed it several times through a telescope.
At the beginning of A Brief History of Time, Hawking pointed out: "I was told that every equation I wrote in the book would halve sales. So I decided not to write any equations. But at the end of the book, I still wrote an equation, Einstein's famous equation E = MC 2. I hope this will not scare away half of my potential readers. "
In "A Brief History of Time", Professor Hawking tells the basic viewpoint about "the origin and destiny of the universe" in a way that ordinary people without scientific education can understand. However, Russian physicist andrei linde told an interesting story: On a transatlantic flight, a businessman next to him was reading Hawking's book. "What do you think?" Linde asked. "It's so attractive!" The businessman said, "I can't put it down." "Oh, that's interesting," the scientist replied. "I found some places very boring, and I didn't understand some contents."
Some of the contents mentioned by Hawking are familiar to anyone who has read his book: Newton's theory of universal gravitation, the big bang theory and the steady state theory, the exponential expansion of the universe, the vector field and the boundlessness hypothesis. I recall what my youngest son said in an article applying for admission to Cambridge University:
In the tenth grade, I found Hawking's A Brief History of Time on the bookcase, which was a new beginning of my thoughts ... In the lower grades, black holes, relativistic physics and Newtonian physics, quantum theory and astrophysics fascinated me more than my lessons. Hawking's question has attracted me for several years, but I know nothing about the answer. "Where did the universe come from?" "How did it come into being and why?" "Will it end? If so, how can it come to an end? " They are not mindless questions that people can ask in daily communication ... Although Stephen Hawking can't leave his wheelchair, he is the bravest, smartest and most accomplished space traveler of our time. He is a hero in my mind, because he explores the universe comprehensively with his thoughts. Although we may regard his physical crisis as "the great misfortune of life". Hawking finally proved what john milton said: "The mind is its own residence, in which it can create a paradise of hell and a hell of heaven." ..... I am grateful to Hawking for enjoying the paradise he found in hell with his readers.
Because Hawking wrote and recorded his speech through a laborious process (reportedly at a speed of about 65,438+00 words per minute), his speech style was concise and accurate, without the affectation and nonsense that other speakers often used.
However, Hawking's physical courage is not as good as his spiritual courage. For Einstein's famous saying about the creation of the universe, "God does not roll dice", Hawking's answer is: "Einstein was wrong. God not only rolls dice, but sometimes he rolls dice where the dice are invisible. " Who else has the courage to challenge Albert Einstein?
From 65438 to 0974, Stephen Hawking was elected to the Royal Society of London, which carl sagan called "one of the oldest academic organizations on our planet". Hawking took pains to add his name and isaac newton's signature to the honorary list of this book at the traditional ceremony. The audience held their breath until Hawking wrote the last letter, and then applauded warmly. 1979165438+1October16th, Hawking was appointed as a professor of mathematics in Lucasian, which was an honorary position for Newton. Later, Hawking was allowed to enter the office again and painfully signed the book. There, Stephen Hawking signed his name for the last time.
Although Hawking can get rich rewards for touring around the world, he can record his prepared speeches on tape without having to use a speech synthesizer very hard, but he smiles at his audience and happily answers questions on the spot.
I once asked him, "Professor Hawking, can you give me a message that women are exploring mathematics and science?" After five minutes, it was difficult for him to organize his answer. He replied: "If I especially encourage women, I will be accused of pretending to be a gift and sexism. But the more interested men or women are in science, the better. " My initial reaction was disappointment. But on second thought, I think his answer hit the nail on the head. That's right. Can Stephen Hawking say anything else?
Others asked the best but unavoidable question: "Professor Hawking, do you believe in God?" All the followers of Stephen Hawking know that he is alternately judged as a skeptic and an atheist, and his separation from his wife is partly due to her devout religious belief. But Hawking's readers also know that his theory leaves room for the possibility of a creator. The sacred goal he pursued all his life is a unified and independent theory, which contains all the mysteries of the universe with a set of equations. Hawking's goal is not only to discover such a complete theory, but also to express it in a way that everyone can understand: "In this way, all of us, including philosophers, scientists and ordinary people, can participate in discussing why there are problems in our universe. If we find the answer to the question, it will be the ultimate victory of human reason, because we will understand God's thoughts. " (A Brief History of Time)
It took Stephen Hawking only three minutes to sort out his computer reply: "I think it's a long story. I still have a speech about what I believe, but it will take 1 hour. " However, Hawking's readers also know about "Do you believe in God?" He's right. The answer to this question is vague. It is not hard to imagine that Stephen Hawking is still trying to answer the question he first asked when he was a student in St. Albans. But it is also possible that the current prophet and epoch-making hero shared this belief with another famous prophet who inadvertently described Stephen Hawking many years ago. Ji Bolun wrote in his collection of prose poems The Prophet: "If he is really wise, he will not only invite you into his house of wisdom, but also lead you to the door of your own mind."