Key Lessons Students Can Learn from Stephen Hawking’s Journey
Stephen Hawking was one of the greatest scientists of the century. He was a very unique person. He proposed and proved many theories. He explained the theory of the black hole. He wrote a book called ‘The Brief History of Time’ in which he explained about the black hole. He also described the concepts of relativity and big-bang theory in this book.
Stephen Hawking is an inspiration to all of us. He suffered from a fatal motor neuron disease that affected his spinal cord. He was diagnosed with this disease in his early 20’s and doctors predicted that he was not likely to live more than 5years. His body was paralyzed and he moved about in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Though he could not sit up straight, yet he kept working on his theories of Physics and amazed the medical experts by surviving for 55 more years.
About
Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford on January 8, 1942. He was born in very adverse circumstances. His parents were not well off and he was born during the Second World War. It was believed that Germany would attack Britain at any time. At that time, Oxford was considered a safe place, so Stephen Hawking’s parents moved to Oxford. His father's name was Frank and his mother's name was Isobel Hawkins. Isobel worked as a secretary in the Medical Research Institute, and Frank was a Medical Researcher. In 1950, when Hawkins's father became the Head of the Division of Parasitology at the National Institute of Medical Research, the family moved to St. Albans.
In the early days of the academy, Stephen Hawking was a good student. He loved board games. According to his friends, Hawkins, along with the rest of his friends, had created a game that only they used to play among themselves. Together with his friends, he had made a computer putting together the recycled parts so that he could use it to solve complex mathematical equations. When Stephen Hawking joined Oxford University, he was 17 years old. He wanted to study Math there but there was no specialized degree in Math, so he turned to Physics, and later he turned towards Cosmology. After graduating in natural science in 1962, he went to Cambridge University to pursue a PhD in cosmology. In 1968, he was made a member of Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy which gave a new direction to his research. That is when he started research on the black hole. He was then inducted into the Royal Society in 1974, a World Wide Fellowship of Scientists. In 1979, he became an Education Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, which is regarded as the most famous academic chair in the world.
Fight with His Disease
Stephen Hawking, at the age of 21, was diagnosed with a motor neuron disease (MND) (also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)) disease. It is a dangerous neurological disease, due to which the nerve cells that control the movement of the muscles of the body gradually stop working, due to which the body gets paralyzed. When he was in Oxford, he felt many times that he was not well, sometimes he used to fall suddenly while walking, or used to stop completely while speaking. He became very clumsy. However, he continued to ignore all these things before 1963 and did not tell anyone about it.
When his father saw his condition in 1963, he took him to the doctor and he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND) (also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)). Doctors said that Stephen Hawking would only be able to stay alive for the next few years. His illness became a big reason for him to carry out his studies and he became a great scientist. Hawking himself said that until he was not diagnosed with the disease, his life was very boring. However, after diagnosis, when he came to know that he would be able to live for only a few years, he had put all his attention in his work and research so that he could fully utilize his remaining life. His illness captured him slowly, and as result, he was no longer able to walk due to which he had to move about in a wheelchair. He lost his voice completely in the year 1985. At this time, his condition was so bad that he was kept in 24 hours medical surveillance, and California’s computer programmers came to help him. They developed software that works based on eye movement.
Contribution Towards Science
In his research, he found that if this universe started with the Big Bang, then it would end with the Big Bang. He also explained Albert Einstein's theory of relativity. Using the General Theory of Relativity and Quantum Theory together, he gave us the concept of Hawking Radiation in which we came to know that Black Holes do not always exist, they leave the Hawking Radiation continuously. Hawking also explained the concept of Penrose– Hawking theorems, Blackhole information paradox, Micro black hole, Primordial black hole, Chronology protection conjecture, Soft hair (No hair theorem), Bekenstein–Hawking formula, Hawking energy, Hawking-Page phase transition.
Conclusion:
Stephen Hawking died on 14 March 2018 at his home. A man whose body didn’t support him achieved all so much that he became an inspiration for the next generations. Stephen Hawking used to give lectures even when he was not well. Motivate people to do a PhD. Stephen Hawking always used to say the same thing, no matter how difficult life may be, you can always do something, you can be successful if you work hard. An inspirational message for everyone.
FAQs on Essay on Stephen Hawking: His Life, Legacy, and Scientific Achievements
1. What were Stephen Hawking's major contributions to science?
Stephen Hawking made several groundbreaking contributions, primarily in the fields of cosmology and quantum gravity. His most significant work includes:
- Hawking Radiation: He proposed that black holes are not completely black but emit radiation, which causes them to eventually evaporate and disappear.
- Singularity Theorems: Working with Roger Penrose, he showed that Einstein's General Theory of Relativity implied that space and time began at a singularity (the Big Bang) and would end in black holes.
- Cosmic Inflation: He contributed to the theory that the universe underwent a period of rapid expansion shortly after the Big Bang.
2. What was the disease Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with, and how did it affect him?
Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with a rare, slow-progressing form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND), at the age of 21. This disease gradually paralysed him over decades, leaving him wheelchair-bound and unable to speak. Despite this, he used a sophisticated speech-generating device to communicate his revolutionary ideas to the world.
3. What is the importance of Stephen Hawking's book, 'A Brief History of Time'?
'A Brief History of Time', published in 1988, is immensely important because it made complex scientific concepts about the origin and fate of the universe accessible to a mass audience. It explained topics like the Big Bang, black holes, and the nature of time in a way that non-scientists could understand, sparking global interest in cosmology and solidifying his status as a leading public intellectual.
4. Why is Stephen Hawking often cited as an inspirational figure for students?
Stephen Hawking is a powerful source of inspiration because he represents the triumph of the human mind over immense physical adversity. His story teaches students about resilience, perseverance, and the limitless potential of curiosity. Despite being told he had only a few years to live, he went on to become one of the most brilliant scientists in history, proving that physical limitations do not have to define one's achievements or intellectual contributions.
5. How did Stephen Hawking communicate after losing his ability to speak?
As his condition worsened, Stephen Hawking used a series of assistive technologies. Initially, he used his fingers to select words on a screen. Later, when he lost the use of his hands, he used a system that detected small movements in his cheek muscle. A sensor mounted on his glasses would pick up these twitches to move a cursor and select characters from a virtual keyboard, which were then converted into speech by a speech-generating device.
6. Can you explain Hawking Radiation in simple terms?
In simple terms, Hawking Radiation is the idea that black holes are not truly 'black'. According to quantum mechanics, pairs of 'virtual' particles constantly pop into and out of existence everywhere in space. Hawking theorised that if this happens at the very edge of a black hole's event horizon, one particle might fall in while the other escapes. To an outside observer, this escaping particle appears as radiation from the black hole. Over an incredibly long time, this slow leak of energy causes the black hole to shrink and eventually evaporate completely.
7. How did Stephen Hawking's theories on black holes challenge previous scientific ideas?
Stephen Hawking's work fundamentally changed our understanding of black holes. Before his research, the accepted idea based on general relativity was that nothing, not even light, could escape a black hole. Hawking's theory of Hawking Radiation challenged this by introducing quantum mechanics, suggesting that black holes are not eternal prisons of matter and energy. He proposed that they have a temperature, emit particles, and ultimately fade away, linking the laws of thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, and general relativity in a revolutionary way.
