Stephen Hawking: A Brief History Of Time

What are black holes? How did the universe begin? Although these are common questions that people have asked for hundreds of years, they remain unanswered. However, in recent times, a few important scientists have made groundbreaking discoveries that are slowly shaping our understanding of these mysteries. One of the most influential of these scientists is Stephen Hawking. Hawking has won a countless amount of prestigious awards demonstrating his importance in the science world. His discoveries are crucial for understanding what happened at the beginning of the universe and what could happen in the future. Stephen Hawking is one of the most important scientists ever because of his research on the universe, the work he has done to help society

His brilliance is obvious in his writing and teaching, yet he has a remarkable ability to use simpler terms that people can understand when explaining his work. Hawking wrote a bestselling book called A Brief History of Time, which explains complicated ideas of science in simple terms (Astronomy & Space 2). This book is important because it could help people discover a passion for science by simplifying the complex, hard to understand topics of science. After publishing this book, many people requested another: “In 2005, Hawking published A Briefer History of Time. The book was a response to people who read his earlier book and wanted an even clearer and more concise explanation of Hawking’s theories” (Astronomy & Space 2). The publication of this book shows how willing Hawking is to explain science and help people understand science, no matter how much knowledge of it they possess. In addition to publishing books, he directly taught students at the same university he once attended: “In 1979, Hawking was named Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge--a position held three centuries earlier by Sir Isaac Newton” (“Stephen Hawking” World of Physics 2). This further demonstrates Hawking’s ability to teach others and help them understand science, and proves his intellect by showing that he had the same job as Newton. Hawking’s

His complete knowledge of the subject has led to new theories and observations that have changed the way we think about black holes. First, he proposed the idea of Hawking Radiation, which is “a quantum effect of general relativity… [he] predicted that a black hole ought to emit blackbody radiation, and he eventually formulated a quantum-mechanical mechanism of what is now termed Hawking Radiation” (“Hawking Radiation” 1). This theory has gained worldwide support, which illustrates how important this contribution is. Second, Hawking’s theory is extremely credible and it fits with many of the laws of science we currently recognize. It was “the first physical theory to merge thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, and general relativity into a single system” (“Hawking Makes Pioneering Discoveries” 3). This means that the theory is a huge step towards a Grand Unified Theory. Finally, another one of Hawking’s contributions includes a question that he posed in 1976. He questioned whether a black hole absorbs all of the information it is given, or if the radiation given off by the black hole sends the information back into space. This is called the Information Puzzle Hypothesis, and physicists still have not come to a conclusion on what actually occurs (“Hawking Makes Pioneering Discoveries” 3). This question is the first of its kind and it could help scientists have a