Stephen Hawking's doctoral thesis is available online

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the availability of Stephen Hawking's doctoral thesis online, specifically focusing on its content, accessibility, and implications for academic practices. Participants explore the significance of the thesis, inquire about its format, and discuss specific topics within the thesis, such as singularities and energy conditions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants highlight the significance of making Hawking's thesis available online, noting it was highly requested by the Cambridge repository.
  • One participant humorously notes the strain on Cambridge's servers due to the high volume of downloads.
  • There are inquiries about the availability of a plain text version of the thesis, with some participants questioning the practicality of reading it in PDF format.
  • A participant mentions having downloaded the thesis and discusses Chapter 4, which deals with singularities, raising questions about the energy conditions mentioned in the thesis.
  • Questions are posed regarding the presence of energy conditions in Hawking's thesis and their relevance to singularities, with requests for clarification at a basic level.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the accessibility of the thesis in various formats, with some finding the PDF format adequate while others seek a plain text version. The discussion about energy conditions and their relation to singularities remains unresolved, with no consensus reached on their presence or significance in the thesis.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference specific chapters and concepts from the thesis, indicating a need for clarity on technical terms and assumptions made by Hawking and Penrose. The discussion reflects varying levels of familiarity with the subject matter.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in Stephen Hawking's work, the nature of singularities in cosmology, and the implications of making academic theses publicly accessible may find this discussion relevant.

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Stephen Hawking makes his doctoral thesis available online

Cambridge University said the paper was the "most-requested" work for its open repository, receiving "hundreds" of requests. It'll also help open the floodgates. All Cambridge graduates will have to offer digital copies of their theses from now on, and they're being encouraged to make them public.

Direct link to the paper:
Properties of expanding universes
 
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Is there a plain txt copy of the doctoral?
It's hard to study it this way..
 
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nikospg said:
Is there a plain txt copy of the doctoral?
It's hard to study it this way..
Sorry, that makes no sense. 1) What is so difficult about reading a PDF copy? 2) How can there be a plain text version with diagrams?
 
Hello.

Today I've downloaded and taken a look at Stephen Hawking's doctoral thesis in .pdf form.

https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/251038

Chapter 4 deals with Singularities. (Page 96 of the reduced-size .pdf)

Through Peter Donis' help in this thread https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...l-collapse-and-cosmology.968323/#post-6153086 I discovered that when Hawking and Penrose were working together they made assumptions about the nature of the very early universe, calling these assumptions the energy conditions.

Now to my questions.

Are there any such assumptions (energy conditions) mentioned in this, Hawking's doctoral thesis, that relate to singularities?

If so, could I please be shown where they are?

If so, could their purpose please be explained to me, preferably at a Basic level?

If not, could it please be explained to me why Hawking did not use them?Many thanks in advance for any help given.Cerenkov.
 

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