Stephen Hawking has been one of my personal heroes ever since I came to know about him from his
seminal book, " A Brief History of Time"
As I read his ideas about space, time, black holes, and the Universe in which we live, I was amazed at how
easily he explained the exciting but often complicated subjects explored in the book. I loved how he brought such inspiring
theories to the public with a unique wit and insight, making previously baffling concepts fun.
He is a man so brilliantly gifted that, despite being unable to use pen and paper, he is able to solve problems
by constructing the necessary diagrams and manipulating the complex equations in his head. He has proved himself to be an
important force in the development of the science of Cosmology, and is believed by many to be the greatest genius alive today.
He now holds the esteemed position of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University, formerly held by Sir Isaac Newton.
I have included a variety of resources. If you have suggestions for more or know of something I have overlooked.
Also on The Stephen Hawking Pages:
Stephen Hawking's Official Website
- http://www.hawking.org.uk/ is Professor Hawking's great new website, containing biographical, research and lecture information. Well worth a visit!
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"Where do we come from? How
did the universe begin? Why is the universe the way it is? How will it end?
"All my life, I have been fascinated by the big questions
that face us, and have tried to find scientific answers to them. If, like me, you have looked at the stars, and tried to make
sense of what you see, you too have started to wonder what makes the universe exist. The questions are clear, and deceptively
simple. But the answers have always seemed well beyond our reach. Until now.
"The ideas which had grown over two thousand years
of observation have had to be radically revised. In less than a hundred years, we have found a new way to think of ourselves.
From sitting at the center of the universe, we now find ourselves orbiting an average-sized sun, which is just one of millions
of stars in our own Milky Way galaxy. And our galaxy itself is just one of billions of galaxies, in a universe that is infinite
and expanding. But this is far from the end of a long history of inquiry. Huge questions remain to be answered, before
we can hope to have a complete picture of the universe we live in.
"I want you to share my excitement at the discoveries,
past and present, which have revolutionized the way we think. From the Big Bang to black holes, from dark matter to a possible
Big Crunch, our image of the universe today is full of strange sounding ideas, and remarkable truths. The story of how we
arrived at this picture is the story of learning to understand what we see."
--STEPHEN
HAWKING |
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Strange Stuff Explained What in the world (or in the universe) are quarks and quasars, nebulae and neutrinos? How can time be imaginary?
Is a wormhole anything like an anthill? For definitions and descriptions of the tricky terminology of the universe, this is
where the strange stuff becomes a little less so.
Cosmological Stars History will, no doubt, recognize many of today's theorists and scientists for their astonishing collective and
personal contributions to our future understanding of the universe. Here we recognize some -- though certainly not all --
of those whose ideas or discoveries have, over time, shaped human understanding of the stars and beyond.
Universes Hundreds of years ago, everyone believed that the Earth was at the center of the universe. Today we know better,
but a complete picture of the universe remains elusive. From the ancient notion of a flat Earth to today's theories on the
very shape of past and future history, ideals of the universe have evolved with the help of scientific discovery and the eternal
human imagination.
Unsolved Mysteries Leading cosmologists address the questions even they have yet to answer.
MARCELO GLEISER: Where Does Matter
Come From?
MICHIO KAKU:
Is Time Travel Possible?
CARLOS FRENK: Where Is the Missing
Matter?
ALAN GUTH: An Eternity of
Bubbles?
SETH SHOSTAK: An Inhabited Universe?
MICHIO KAKU: Is There a Theory
of Everything?
LEE SMOLIN: What Is the Future
of Cosmology?
Things To Do In the Dark Some Web sites present fascinating photographs from galaxies millions of light-years away, while others feature
online discussions among today's leading cosmologists. But where to look first? Our resources list describes and links to
great spots on the Web, as well as books and magazines, for the cosmology enthusiast.
About Stephen Hawking
Ask the Experts Two prominent cosmologists answer our viewers'
questions about the universe.
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A Brief History of Mine Stephen William Hawking was born on 8 January 1942 (300 years after the death of Galileo) in Oxford, England... |
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Does God play dice?.. Black holes! Find out what
it's all about in the lectures
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The latest news: Find out about future lecture dates.
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Would you like to email Professor Hawking? See 'contact information' in the 'Information' section.
If you have ever wanted to know about the man who wrote
the all-time best seller 'A Brief History of Time', and more recently the book that is still topping charts all over
the world 'The Universe in a Nutshell' then this is an excellent place to start. These pages have been written so that
you can learn more about not only Stephen, but also his work.
There are a number of features contained in this site
to make it easier for you to get around. Along the bottom of every screen is a navigation bar. It will take you anywhere in
only a few clicks.
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