Jackie Allen

Ellsworth High School

Calculus Class

December 2001

Stephen Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, outside of London. His family was very intellectual. His mother was active in the Liberal party. His father was a physician and specialist in tropical diseases. His family moved 20 miles north of London to St. Albans when Hawking was eight. At an early age, Hawking showed that he had an exceptional aptitude with mathematics and physics. Hawking attended St. Albans School and won a scholarship to Oxford University in 1959, his father’s old college. Hawking was interested in mathematics; however, mathematics was not available at Oxford, so he instead chooses to study physics.

During his Oxford years, Hawking became increasingly interested in thermodynamics, the study of the interaction of matter and energy, relativity, and quantum mechanics. In 1962, he received his degree with honors in Natural Science. Steven then decided to enroll at Cambridge University as a student in general relativity at the department of applied mathematics and theoretical physics.

Hawking had always been concerned with singularities, the research of breakdowns in space in time where the classic laws of physics no longer apply. The black hole, the final form of a collapsed star, is the most familiar example of singularities. The theory of relativity, which was developed by Albert Einstein, is the base of what scientists believe about the space-time. In the 1960’s Hawking proved that if the general theory of relativity is correct, then a singularity must also have occurred at the big bang.

During his time at Cambridge, Hawking continued his interest in black holes and space-time singularities. After earning his Ph.D. in 1966. He then stayed at Cambridge and became a research assistant.

While in his 20’s at Cambridge, Hawking started to be world known for his pioneering ideas, use of Einstein’s formulas, and questioning of the older established physicists. In 1968, Hawking published his first book, Large Scale of Structure of Space-Time.

His Research moved from space-time to black holes in the 1970’s. The event horizon is the boundary of a black hole. Hawking realized that the surface area of the event horizon around a black hole could never decrease. It could only increase or remain constant with time. From 1970 to 1974, Hawking provided mathematical proof for the hypothesis known as the "No Hair Theorem." This theorem developed by John Wheeler stated that mass, angular motion, and electrical charge, are the only properties that those particles of matter keep once they enter a black hole.

In 1974, he became one of the youngest Fellows of the Royal Society at the age of 32. He also received the Albert Einstein Award, the most prestigious award in theoretical physics. Hawking became a professor of physics in 1977, and in 1979, he was designated Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, the same post occupied by Sir Isaac Newton 300 years earlier.

Since 1974, Hawking studied the behavior of matter in the immediate vicinity of a black hole from a theoretical basis in quantum mechanics, the theory that describes how subatomic particles behave and how matter and radiation interact. To his surprise, he found that black holes could not emit thermal radiation, or heat. This radiation in now called Hawking Radiation.

Hawking was diagnosed in the late 1970’s with Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a rare progressive disease that handicaps movement and speech. Despite this illness he continues to work on his studies and theories. Hawking is wheel chair bound and speaks through a computer and voice synthesizer.

In the 1990’s, Hawking worked to produce a theory that could connect several theories used by scientist to explain the universe. A Brief History of Time (1998), and Black Holes and Baby Universes and other Essays (1993) are two of Steven Hawking book that made his work accessible to the public.

Hawking has three children and one grandchild. Despite his continuing illness, Hawking continues his family life and his extensive program of travel and public appearances. Many people can see him on PBS presenting information of black holes and theories of time. He still researches into theoretical physics. He shares, "My goal is simple. It is complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all."

"Stephen William Hawking." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2001.

http:encarta.msn.com. Copyright 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. (10/12/01)

"A Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries: Stephen Hawking."