Who is he Stephen Hawkings?

Question

Physicist, quantum theorist, cosmologist.
Can someone explain to me what these are?
What has he done?

What are these below?
Physicist, quantum theorist, cosmologist.

Answer 1

Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA (born 8 January 1942) is a British theoretical physicist. Hawking is the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, and a Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He is known for his contributions to the fields of cosmology and quantum gravity, especially in the context of black holes, and his popular works in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general. These include the runaway popular science bestseller A Brief History of Time, which stayed on the British Sunday Times bestseller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.[1]

His key scientific works to date have included providing, with Roger Penrose, theorems regarding singularities in the framework of general relativity, and the theoretical prediction that black holes should emit radiation, which is today known as Hawking radiation, or sometimes as Bekenstein-Hawking radiation.[2] His scientific career spans more than 40 years and his books and public appearances have made him an academic celebrity and world-renowned theoretical physicist. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.[3] Hawking is disabled by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known in the United States as Lou Gehrig's Disease. The illness has progressed over the years and he is now almost completely paralysed.

Answer 2

C'mon folks! Don't just cut and paste wikipedia, at least try to explain to the asker why Hawking is important!

His actual name is Stephen Hawking, and he is a theoretical physicist.

That's the large category he works in, and within that large discipline he is most known for his contributions to the subcategories of quantum gravity and cosmology.

Most of Hawking's work has been in the field of unifying Einstein's general theory of relativity with quantum mechanics...both of which are attempts to provide scientific explanations for the laws which govern the entire physical universe.

Cosmology is the study of the universe in primarily mathematical terms - so you can see why Hawking is described as a physicist, quantum theorist and cosmologist. He's all of those things, in the same way a doctor can be a physician, heart specialist and cardiac surgeon.

What has he done?

His most well known theorems about singularities (where gravitational forces approach the infinite, like black holes), Einstein and quantum gravity predict things like:

- The universe had a beginning in the Big Bang
- The universe will have an end - in black holes
- Black holes aren't completely black - they will emit radiation and will eventually evaporate and disappear

Hope that helps. Best to you.

Answer 3

A physicist is someone who studies the fundamental interactions found in nature using mathematical models called "theories" Quantum Mechanics is the prevailing theory of elementary particles. General Relativity is the prevailing theory of gravity. Reconciling these two theories is a major area of study. Cosmologists study the large scale structure of the universe. Describing the very early universe is a major area of study in cosmology. Making progress is closely related to the aforementioned reconciliation since both theories are applicable during this period.

Answer 4

The name to me conjures up a guy sitting in a wheelchair using a computer worked by his mouth to communicate, but very clever! X

Answer 5

There is so much information involved in his works, as well as those occupations.
I recommend Wikipedia for you, unless you're doing a report on him - encyclopedias aren't really valid bibliographic sources.

Answer 6

He is the Albert Einstein of our time.

Answer 7

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hawking