Stephen Hawking has Died - March 14th, 2018

[Stavros Kiri]

The greatest mind of our era.

I have a hard time with that. Hawking was an excellent scientist, a great popularizer and a sterling role model. He certainly deserves his fame. But "greatest mind of our era"? That's a bit over the top.

In addition, it depends on how you define "era".

I don't have a problems with that. The set is not linearly ordered, so there are more than one greatest element. So "greatest mind of our era" seems fine, but "the greatest mind of our era" is probably inaccurate.

Thus perhaps "One of the greatest minds of the recently modern scientific era" is perhaps more accurate and perhaps kind of necessarily true! ...

A few years back I had similar feelings when (me back then being a Physics undergaduate student) I was informed of prof. R. P. Feynman's death (another great mind of that/this era ...). At first I couldn't believe it (and, to be honest, I still haven't for both! Inside of me they are still alive ...). They both gave their brave fights to live and undoubtedly taught me 3 things (strongly imprinted in my memory):
1. Life is worth living and worth fighting for in any case (or at least in most cases).
2. Science is [a goal] worth pursuing ...
3. Never trust doctors ... (jk )

Although my role model for physics is Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking is my role model as a person, if that makes sense. Stephen Hawking defied all odds and fought ALS and far surpassed his life expectancy. The fact that he died on Albert Einstein's birthday is truly extraordinary and is an amazing coincidence, especially since both of them are my 2 role models.

Note also:

Born on Galileo’s death

(Jan 8)

[Amazing Physicists' coincidences, considering also the scientific relation/subjects between these 3 names (Galileo, Einstein, Hawking [in time order ...]) - reflecting also the evolution of ideas in physics ... (and a still/ever expanding/evolving subject [i.e. 'Mechanics-Relativity-Cosmology'])]

 

[pinball1970]

I don't get what he did, I only have to read to the number of comments from scientists/students on here that use the phrase " he inspired..."

 

[Amrator]

I don't get what he did, I only have to read to the number of comments from scientists/students on here that use the phrase " he inspired..."

Ohwilleke already posted this link in this thread:
http://backreaction.blogspot.com/2018/03/stephen-hawking-dies-at-76-what-was-he.html

 

[pinball1970]

Ohwilleke already posted this link in this thread:
http://backreaction.blogspot.com/2018/03/stephen-hawking-dies-at-76-what-was-he.html

read a few posts not all. apologies if I repeated, I suppose that is going to happen with this guy. I have my orginal brief history which I am taking into work tomo for a guy who wants to know what he did. Spine is a bit knackered, told him to look after it.

 

[BillTre]

Saw this yesterday.
Very simple, but completely recognizable.

 

[haushofer]

I used that lego-picture a couple of weeks ago during a talk for high school students. It was a hit! :D

Of course, someone's passing away is sad. But given the extra 55 years of time he got and my impression that he had a most interesting and satisfying life, feelings of gratitude and joy predominate. Long live Hawking, in all his papers, thoughts, popular literature and popular culture! :D

 

[praveenplanemo]

RIP Prof S.W Hawking

 

[mark!]

RIP. He will always be one of my biggest heroes.

 

[Jupiter60]

It is sad that he never went to outer space. There were plans to send him to space.

 

[david2]

didn't know he was that old.

RIP

 

[Stavros Kiri]

It is sad that he never went to outer space. There were plans to send him to space.

E.g.
Professor Stephen Hawking Experiences the Freedom of Weightlessness During Historic Zero-Gravity Flight Out of Kennedy Space Center
Press Release From: Zero Gravity Corporation
Posted: Thursday, April 26, 2007
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=22518

 

[DennisN]

I enjoyed his book, A Brief History of Time. I also enjoyed the movie The Theory of Everything. Considering his disease, I will remember him as someone who showed that when there is a will, there is a way. But none of us lives forever. May he rest in peace.

 

[pinball1970]

I enjoyed his book, A Brief History of Time. I also enjoyed the movie The Theory of Everything. Considering his disease, I will remember him as someone who showed that when there is a will, there is a way. But none of us lives forever. May he rest in peace.

I thought the Cumberbatch film was better, more physics than the other stuff (life). Roger Penrose features a litle more as does Fred Hoyle, Hawking challenges him on his steady state theory in a lecture because he worked through his paper before hand- they show his calculations/equations but they are way beyond me, this is where not really understanding what he did is annoying as one cannot get the full benefit of those parts.

Was he ever nominated for the Nobel? Anything he did worthy of a nomination? On black holes?

 

[DennisN]

I thought the Cumberbatch film was better, more physics than the other stuff (life).

Thanks, I did not know about that movie (Hawking), I am going to see it . And I am a big fan of Cumberbatch. (sidenote: another great physics movie is Particle Fever, IMO)

 

[Orodruin]

Was he ever nominated for the Nobel?

Probably, but Nobel nominations are not public so you cannot know for sure.

Also, if he was nominated it would likely not have been considered. The Nobel committee typically wants to have firm evidence before awarding a theory prize and when it comes to things such as Hawking radiation it remains a widely accepted conjecture that so far has no experimental verification. There is a reason Higgs and Englert won the Nobel prize some four decades after their actual work.

 

[Stavros Kiri]

Hawking radiation

Well, but in any case Hawking radiation is "his" anyway! ...

 

[pinball1970]

Thanks, I did not know about that movie (Hawking), I am going to see it . And I am a big fan of Cumberbatch. (sidenote: another great physics movie is Particle Fever, IMO)

Thanks that is one for me to watch, good physics movies are thin on the ground. Some good BBC documentaries though, horizon has done some great stuff on the LHC and there was the Hawking Paradox I cited in another post.
Cumberbatch also did the imitation game- brilliant
The one on Feynman is smooshy as hell (infinity) and the Manhattan Project film disappointing too (Fat man little boy)
Hawking has two great films made about him while he was alive! - not bad, a measure of his popular status

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I enjoyed his book, A Brief History of Time. I also enjoyed the movie The Theory of Everything. Considering his disease, I will remember him as someone who showed that when there is a will, there is a way. But none of us lives forever. May he rest in peace.

My wife and I watched ToE last night and I'm wrecked emotionally.

 

[pinball1970]

My wife and I watched ToE last night and I'm wrecked emotionally.

This film seem to get a lot more publicity than "Hawking" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawking_(2004_film) which I think is more for you guys. Its not as glossy glitzy and I think is a TV movie rather than a "movie" movie but it has more science in it. Something to get your teeth into.

 

[robphy]

Hawking's voice [just before the voice synthesizer] @ #t=2m45s of part-3 below

Part 1/5:

Part 2/5:

Part 3/5:

Part 4/5:

Part 5/5:

 

[Jupiter60]

Stephen Hawking was like the Helen Keller for physically handicapped people.

 

[VuIcan]

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-15555565

http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/people/s.w.hawking/It’s probably a coincidence that March 14 is Einstein’s birthday.

VIDEOs ahead in #8 and #12 and now #80
See also #43

Also Pi day.

 

[Orodruin]

Suitable company in the afterlife: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/20/europe/stephen-hawking-ashes-intl/index.html

 

[OmCheeto]

Suitable company in the afterlife: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/20/europe/stephen-hawking-ashes-intl/index.html

Darwin, Newton, and Hawking
walked into a church graveyard...​

hmmm...

I've got nothin'.

 

[BillTre]

Darwin, Newton, and Hawking
walked into a church graveyard...
hmmm...

I've got nothin'.

A chill wind blew in with the entropy deprived group,
as the surrounding area increased in temperature,
and the ghosts of confusion fled.

 

[Facial]

RIP Dr. Hawking! I have seen him as a source of inspiration for years.

I think he is still scientifically underrated.

 

[DennisN]

My wife and I watched ToE last night and I'm wrecked emotionally.

I hope you have recovered. I started to watch the movie "Hawking" today, but I decided to watch it later, because it was actually starting to make me sad.

Cumberbatch also did the imitation game- brilliant

I agree. Great movie, great acting, just splendid! (a trailer is here for those lucky people who have not seen it yet)

 

[pinball1970]

I hope you have recovered. I started to watch the movie "Hawking" today, but I decided to watch it later, because it was actually starting to make me sad.

Will watch be Hawking again I think, however its "Particle fever" for me this afternoon. Jon Butterworth did a talk on the LHC at Manchester Uni after the discovery of the Higgs, when he started talking I thought "Hang on, this chap sounds like a Manc." It turns out he went to a school round the corner from me. Very unassuming guy, the talk was great and tried my best to get my lad to apply to Manchester after it (Huge Hawking fan/admirer)

 

[pinball1970]

I hope you have recovered. I started to watch the movie "Hawking" today, but I decided to watch it later, because it was actually starting to make me sad.

I agree. Great movie, great acting, just splendid! (a trailer is here for those lucky people who have not seen it yet)

Really enjoyed particle Fever- cheers. Hawking made a voice appearence at the opening.

 

[pinball1970]

Really enjoyed particle Fever- cheers. Hawking made a voice appearence at the opening.

LHC opening party that is..