Smart paralyzed man. Stephen Hawking: biography, personal life, family, wife, children - photo
Name: Stephen Hawking (Stephen William Hawking)
Age: 76 years old
Place of Birth: Oxford, UK
A place of death:: Cambridge
Activity: Scientist, theoretical physicist, mathematician
Family status: was divorced
Stephen Hawking - Biography
During World War II, Oxford and Cambridge were the only places in the UK where German bombers did not reach. Frank Hawking chose Oxford and moved there from London with his wife. Soon, on January 8, 1942, Isabelle gave birth to her first child, son Stephen.
The boy grew strong and healthy. Two daughters followed, so Stephen was left to his own devices. He sat for a long time, sorting out old clocks and other mechanisms, he wanted to see how everything worked. It turned out to be much less interesting at school: the teachers are boring, the subjects are boring. Unless mathematics is the only worthwhile science ...
Stephen's parents worked in the field of medicine and were sure that son will go in their footsteps. But he rested - mathematics or physics! I had to work hard to get into the university, because at school Stephen was almost the worst student in the class. Although the language did not turn to call the boy stupid. On the contrary, classmates gave him the nickname Einstein - apparently in advance.
Stephen's admission to Oxford was celebrated on a grand scale. Only the young man himself did not appreciate what he had. Still only interested exact sciences. In addition, it turned out that Hawking did not have many friends, and this upset him. True, there was a way out. Rowers were considered the most popular in Oxford, and Stephen became one of them - he took the position of helmsman. It turned out badly, the team lost at competitions, but now everyone knew him by sight, and there was no end to new acquaintances.
At one of the student parties, Stephen met her - the one who could make him forget about friends and rowing. Jane Wilde was not only pretty, but also turned out to be an interesting conversationalist. Well, who else would listen to stories about physical phenomena and recent discoveries? And she listened...
One of the frosty Christmas days of 1962, young Hawking spent on the skating rink. The mood was excellent, the ice slid underfoot, and suddenly ... Everything began to spin, his legs entangled, and Stephen fell backwards. The fall was not the first. Before him, the young man had already happened to fly from the stairs, the porch, to slip out of the blue. Parents insisted on examination, and the doctors issued a disappointing verdict - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This meant that over time, the muscles completely atrophy, and Stephen himself best case will remain a vegetable.
The doctor took the inconsolable mother of the patient aside.
I give him two and a half years, no more.
The main question that Stephen asked himself after he heard the verdict was: "Why me?" And then he suddenly realized how many plans he had. In addition, Jane was nearby, who, having learned about the diagnosis, was not afraid. So, you can continue to live.
Stephen Hawking - personal life
The disease progressed. If Stephen came to his own wedding with a cane, then he met his firstborn already on crutches.
Summed up and speech - became inarticulate.
Meanwhile, a daughter and another son were born. Robert, Lucy and Timothy became the meaning of Hawking's life, his continuation. But it became increasingly difficult for Jane to cope with the children, and even take care of her husband. Fortunately, there is a modern wheelchair, which Stephen easily controlled. Yes, and students often ran to visit him and help if needed. By that time, Hawking was already a professor of mathematics. It is interesting that for the first time he covered many topics in the textbook almost in parallel with the students, ahead of them by only a couple of weeks.
IN free time Hawking was into science. Most of all he was fascinated by cosmology and black holes, which, according to Stephen, "evaporate", losing energy due to specific radiation. To this day, it is called so - Hawking radiation. The discoveries of the scientist soon became known to the whole scientific world. The awards rained down one after another, Stephen did not expect such recognition.
Despite the obvious difficulties, the Hawking family looked quite happy from the outside.
But only from the side ... Jane is somewhat recent years haunted by the same nightmare: her husband dies, and she is left alone with three children and accumulated problems.
Should we blame her for the fact that one day a woman could not stand it and succumbed to a new feeling? Jonathan Jones, a church choir musician, was strong, healthy, strong. On a voluntary basis, he helped the Hawking family and won Jane's heart in between. Stephen understood what was going on, but... he let things take their course. He himself was afraid that his days were numbered, and he wanted his wife and children not to be left alone.
This triangle could have tormented its participants for a long time, if not for the occasion. In 1985, while in Switzerland, Stephen caught pneumonia. Complex operations failed, the patient had to undergo a tracheotomy. A tube was now sticking out of his throat, and he could no longer speak. Jane dropped her hands. She helped as much as she could, but her enthusiasm was fading. A few years later, the couple divorced.
Those around him felt sorry for Stephen: who needs him now? To say something, he had to type it with his finger, and the speech synthesizer reproduced what was written. But nurse Elaine Mason understood him without words. Spending day after day with the physicist, the woman became attached to this intelligent and unlike other person. In 1995, they quietly signed.
For 11 long years life together Elaine saved Stephen from death several times. She was there when he choked, coughed, lost consciousness. But for her, this burden was too heavy. They divorced, humbly releasing each other.
Stephen Hawking today
Today Stephen Hawking is alone. However, one is not quite correct word. Next to him are his students and colleagues, with whom he never ceases to discuss problems. modern science. He is confident that there are still many discoveries ahead. Children do not leave the scientist - with their daughter Lucy, they jointly wrote a children's book about the boy George and his adventures in the Universe.
73-year-old Hawking is not going to die, because there is still so much to do. After all, he still doesn't have Nobel Prize even though he deserves it. If the reward was given for willpower, the desire to live and an unshakable spirit, he would undoubtedly have received it long ago.
Death of a scientist
Theoretical physicist and world-famous scientist Stephen William Hawking was born on January 8, 1942 in Oxford, UK, into a family of doctors. Father Frank was engaged in research activities, mother Isabelle served as secretary of a medical institution, working in the same team with her husband. Steve grew up in the company of two sisters and stepbrother Edward, who was adopted by the Hawking family.
After graduating high school, Stephen entered the University of Oxford, after which he received a bachelor's degree in 1962. Two and a half years later, in 1966, the young man became one of the first PhDs from Trinity Hall College at the University of Cambridge.
Disease
From early childhood, Stephen was a healthy boy, even in his youth he was not bothered by any ailments. But in his youth, misfortune befell him. Young Stephen was found terrible disease- amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The diagnosis sounded like a sentence. The symptoms of the disease developed with great speed. As a result future genius science remained completely paralyzed. Despite this, in the photo Stephen Hawking always appears with a kind smile. Being chained to a wheelchair, Stephen did not stop in mental development, was engaged in self-education, studied scientific literature attended seminars. The guy fought every minute. His morale helped in 1974 to obtain permanent membership in the Royal Society of London.
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In 1985, Stephen Hawking underwent an operation on the larynx, which could not be avoided due to complicated pneumonia. Since then, Stephen has completely stopped talking, but continued to actively communicate with colleagues using a speech synthesizer developed by his friends - engineers at the University of Cambridge - especially for him.
For a while, Hawking could move index finger right hand. But this ability has been lost over time. The only mimic muscle of the cheek remained mobile. A sensor placed in front of this muscle helped Stephen control a computer that he could use to communicate with the people around him.
Despite a serious illness, Stephen Hawking's biography is filled with bright events, scientific discoveries and achievements. terrible disease did not break Stephen, only slightly changed the course of life. Almost completely paralyzed, Stephen Hawking saw no obstacles in his own illness, led a full-fledged life full of work.
Once Hawking made a real feat. He agreed to experience the conditions of being in a weightless space by flying on a specially equipped aircraft. This event, which took place in 2007, completely changed Stephen Hawking's understanding of the world around him. The scientist set himself the goal of conquering space no later than 2009.
Physics
Stephen Hawking's main specialization is cosmology and quantum gravity. The scientist studied the thermodynamic processes that occur in wormholes, black holes and dark matter. The phenomenon that describes and characterizes the "evaporation of black holes" - "Hawking radiation" is named after him.
In 1974, Stephen and another well-known specialist at that time, Kip Korn, argued about the nature of the space object Cygnus X-1 and its radiation. Stephen, managing to contradict his own research, argued that this object is not a black hole. However, having suffered a defeat, in 1990 he gave the winnings to the winner of the dispute. It should be noted that the rates of young guys were quite "serious". Stephen Hawking staked his annual subscription to an erotic glossy magazine Penthouse, and Kip Korn a four-year subscription to the humor magazine Private Eye.
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In 1997, Stephen Hawking made another bet, but now with Kip Thorne against John Philip Preskill. The controversial discussion became the starting point for a groundbreaking study by Stephen Hawking, which he presented at a special press conference in 2004. According to John Preskill, there is some information in the waves emitted by black holes that cannot be deciphered.
Hawking contradicted this argument, relying on the results of the 1975 studies. He argued that the information cannot be deciphered, since it falls into the Universe parallel to our galaxy.
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Later, in 2004, at a press conference in Dublin on cosmology, Stephen Hawking put forward a new theory about the nature of a black hole. With this conclusion, Hawking was again defeated in the dispute, forced to recognize the correctness of his opponent. In his theory, the physicist nevertheless proved that information does not disappear without a trace, but one day it will leave black hole along with thermal radiation.
In 2015, the premiere of the full-length feature film"Stephen Hawking's Universe", in which the young scientist was performed by an outstanding Hollywood actor, according to the producers, ideally suited for this role. The film was sold on quotes that are actively used by British youth.
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motion picture in directing James Marsh contains true story Stephen, talks about his difficult relationship with first wife Jane Wilde. The young actor, who played the role of the legendary scientist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking, received an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role after the premiere.
Books
In addition to other merits and achievements in the field of science, Stephen Hawking became famous in another area. He wrote several books that have scattered around the world in huge editions. His first work was a book published in 1988. A work of art and science called A Brief History of Time remains a bestseller to this day.
The scientist also became the author of the books “Black Holes and Young Universes”, “The World in a Nutshell”. In 2005, he wrote another book, The shortest history time”, now co-authored with writer Leonard Mlodinov. Together with his daughter, Stephen Hawking wrote and published a children's book, George and the Secrets of the Universe, which was released in 2006.
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At the end of 1998, the scientist made a detailed scientific forecast about the fate of mankind for the next millennium. The corresponding report was made in the Government House. His arguments sounded rather optimistic. In 2003, the researcher's statement was no longer so encouraging, he advised humanity, without hesitation, to move to other habitable worlds away from viruses that threaten our survival.
Personal life
In 1965, Stephen Hawking married Jane Wilde, whom he met at a charity event. The girl gave birth to the scientist two sons and a daughter. The personal life of Stephen Hawking and his wife did not work out, and in 1991 they divorced. The official reasons for the divorce were not made public.
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Already in 1995, Stephen Hawking married for the second time, to his nurse Elaine Mason, who for a long time took care of scientists. After an eleven-year marriage, Hawking also divorced his wife.
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Stephen Hawking's children supported their father in all his affairs and undertakings. In addition to them, the scientist constantly supported him close friend, a Hollywood comedy artist, with whom he has repeatedly appeared at evenings and photo shoots for magazines.
Politics and religion
The scientist rejected any theory about the existence of God and was an atheist. Despite this fact, he was blessed by Pope Francis at a special symposium, which took place within the walls of the scientific academy of the papal residence. According to political preferences, Stephen Hawking considers himself a Labor Party.
In the spring of 1968, the scientist, together with public figure Tariq Ali and film actress Vanessa Redgrave took part in a protest against the Vietnam War.
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Later, in the 80s, the scientist supported the idea of his colleagues about nuclear disarmament, universal health and normalization global climate Earth.
The decision of the American president, which led to the war on the territory of the Iraqi Republic in 2003, the scientist called military officials a crime. In the same year, he supported the boycott of the Israeli conference on political power towards the inhabitants of Palestine.
In recent years, Stephen Hawking has been working on new questions of the Universe, giving lectures on physics at the institute, and was engaged in active research activities.
Death
British media reported that early in the morning on March 14, 2018 at his home. The scientist's children confirmed this information, stating:
"He once said, 'The universe wouldn't make much sense if it wasn't a home for loved ones. We will always miss him.'"
(1942)
The eventful biography of Stephen Hawking not only tells about a scientist who left a significant mark on science, but amazes with the courage inherent in this person.
Stephen William Hawking was born in 1942. Having received an education at Oxford, the young man decides to devote his life to science, namely, theoretical physics. Around this time, the first signs of the disease began to appear, which was called amyotrophic sclerosis. The disease progressed rapidly, and soon Hawking was in a wheelchair.
IN currently a famous American scientist, professor of mathematics, communicates with the world through a computer, which he controls with the index finger of his right hand, which has retained mobility.
1985 brought new trials to the scientist, affecting the life and biography of Stephen Hawking in the most negative way. The operation on the throat, which was done to Stephen, gave complications, and he lost his voice. The scientist communicates with the people around him thanks to the speech synthesizer, which was presented to him by his friends.
The scientific activity of the scientist is connected with such fields of science as quantum gravity and cosmology. Hawking was the first to use the laws of thermodynamics to explain the phenomena associated with black holes. For his scientific merits, Hawking in 1974 becomes a member of the Royal Society of London, and in 1975 he developed the theory of "evaporation" of black holes, which brought the scientist world fame. This phenomenon called Hawking radiation.
After the discovery made by Stephen Hawking, the scientific world has been debating for almost a quarter of a century about what happens in a black hole with information about the matter absorbed by it. Hawking considered it most likely to be transferred to one of the parallel worlds. According to Professor Preskill this information comes back to our world, but in such a distorted form that we cannot decipher it.
Stephen Hawking himself put an end to this dispute in 2004. In August of this year, Dublin hosted international Conference according to the general theory of relativity. In his speech, the great scientist not only forced the scientific world to take a fresh look at issues related to the origin and existence of black holes, but also recognized the correctness of his colleague.
Despite the severity of the disease, Stephen William Hawking is very active image life. Preparing for a flight into space, as a passenger, the scientist trained in a special aircraft, which during the flight creates the effect of weightlessness.
The outstanding scientist is an active popularizer of science. He wrote several books in which, in plain language, without mathematical formulas, explains the basic postulates of the theory of relativity, cosmology and related sciences.
Regarding the personal life of the scientist, we can say that he was married twice and has three children.
I would like to believe that the biography of Stephen William Hawking will have a long continuation, and his busy life write more and more pages into it.
Let's leave current affairs aside and plunge into the world of science, and more specifically, theoretical physics. Stephen Hawking, one of the most famous and popular physicists of our time, has done a lot scientific discoveries and assumptions about the structure of the world.
1. The past is a possibility
According to Hawking, one of the consequences of the theory quantum mechanics is that events that happened in the past did not happen in any particular way. Instead they all happened possible ways. This is due to the probabilistic nature of matter and energy according to quantum mechanics: until an outside observer is found, everything will hover in uncertainty.
Hawking: "No matter what memories you hold about the past in the present, the past, like the future, is uncertain and exists in the form of a spectrum of possibilities."
2. There is a "Theory of Everything"
M-theory, proposed by Edward Witten in the 1990s, was comprehended and refined by Hawking and his colleague Leonard Mlodinov. M-theory is an offshoot of string theory and describes the entire universe at once. According to it, at the smallest level, all particles consist of branes - multidimensional membranes, the properties of which can explain absolutely all the processes occurring in our Universe. By the way, this theory also assumes the existence of a huge number of universes in which physical laws operate that are different from ours.
3. General relativity has to do with errors in navigation systems
The general theory of relativity was formulated by Einstein in 1915. It postulates that “gravitational effects are caused not by the force interaction of bodies and fields located in space-time, but by the deformation of space-time itself, which is associated, in particular, with the presence of mass-energy.”
Hawking acted as a popularizer of this theory. He claims, in particular, that "If general theory relativity will not be taken into account in GPS navigation satellite systems, errors in the definition global positions will accumulate at a rate of about 10 km per day. It is important to understand that the closer an object is to Earth, the slower time passes. Thus, depending on how far the satellites are from the Earth, their on-board clocks will work with different speeds. We could compensate for this difference automatically if this effect were taken into account.”
4. aquarium fish oppressed
“Imagine yourself as a fish living in an aquarium with convex walls. What would you know about our world if all your life you looked at it in glass distortion and had no way to get out? It is impossible to know the true nature of reality: we believe that we clearly understand the world, but, metaphorically speaking, we are doomed to spend our whole life in an aquarium, since the capabilities of our body do not allow us to get out of it. Hawking says.
Impressed by this metaphor, the authorities of the city of Monz, Italy, a few years ago banned the keeping of fish in round aquariums by law, so that the distortion of light does not prevent the fish from perceiving the world as it is.
5 Quarks Are Never Alone
Quarks, the "building blocks" of protons and neutrons, exist only in groups and never one at a time. The force that binds quarks increases with the distance between them, so if you try to pull one quark away from another, the harder you pull, the harder it will try to break free and come back. Free quarks do not occur in nature.
6. The universe gave birth to itself
Hawking is a staunch atheist. He devoted a lot of time scientific evidence that no God is needed for life to exist. One of his famous sayings is: “Because there is such a force as gravity, the universe could and did create itself out of nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason why the Universe exists, why we exist. There is no need for God to 'light' the fire and make the universe work."
Selena Parfenova (www.factroom.ru)
Professor Hawking is the recipient of twelve honorary academic titles. Hawking awarded big amount various awards, medals and prizes. He is also a member of the Royal Society and the US National Academy of Sciences.
Stephen Hawking manages to combine family life(he has three children and one grandson) with his research in theoretical physics and numerous trips and public lectures.
This is a completely ordinary biography of a good physicist, if you don’t know that in his early twenties, while working on his dissertation, Hawking was almost completely paralyzed due to the development incurable form atrophic sclerosis and remains in this state all his life.
Now almost all the muscles of the body do not obey him. Nevertheless, he continues to travel the world, lecture, write books and lead an active scientific activity, excitement academia their theories about the origin and development of the universe. And, as you can see, he even dreams of flying in zero gravity.
This captive spirit connects with the outside world with the help of electronic devices: built-in wheelchair computer, specially made by IBM, and a sound synthesizer. Hawking communicates in this way: columns of letters (words and whole expressions) continuously crawl across the computer screen, along which the cursor moves. The scientist can stop him at right place, and the selected character enters the computer's memory to compose a written text. With the help of a sound synthesizer, a special program translates the written text into continuous speech.
In recent years, Hawking stopped the cursor at the right place on the screen with two still moving fingers of his right hand. Now they have refused. Now he does this with the help of trembling of his right cheek - a small screen is fixed on it, on which an infrared sensor beam falls. A live conversation with a scientist is a series of short phrases spoken by a synthesizer, separated by pauses of silence, during which Hawking composes a response. He writes and slanders his speeches and reports in advance. Special computer programs can also turn cheek tremors into several simple commands: turn the chair, roll it, open the door ... The rest of it is served by several shift nurses and nurses, as well as postgraduate volunteers.
Stephen Hawking entered Oxford University as a healthy, noisy, mocking young man and was known by the teachers as a capable, but negligent student who was fond of rowing. The first signs of an insidious disease appeared after the end of the initial university course, when the young man moved to specialize in cosmology at Cambridge. The movements became so clumsy that he could fall, as they say, out of the blue, and during a fateful party for him, at which he met future wife Jane, spilled the wine over the glass.
The doctors put terrible diagnosis: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Every year, 100,000 people die from this incurable disease worldwide. IN different countries it has been called variously: motor neuron disease, Charcot's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Lou Gehring's disease - after the famous baseball player who died from it. The essence of the disease different names the same - it begins gradually with a violation of the musculoskeletal system, then gradually comes paralysis and atrophy different groups muscles, there are violations of speech, breathing and swallowing. At the same time, hearing, vision, memory, consciousness, higher cognitive functions of the brain are not disturbed. The etiology is unknown. Doctors gave Hawking two - two and a half years to live - this was in 1962.
I am often asked: “What do you think about your illness?” Hawking wrote. - And I answer: “I don’t think about her very much. I try to live as much as possible normal person, not to think about my condition and not to regret that it does not allow me to do something. When I was discovered at 21 that I had a neuromotor disease, that was for me. a terrible blow. Realizing that I have incurable disease, which, apparently, in a few years will kill me, I was shocked. How could this happen to me? Why is this the end for me? I did not know what awaited me and how quickly the disease would progress. When I left the hospital, I felt like I was sentenced to death, and I suddenly realized that I could do a lot if the execution of the sentence was postponed. More than once I was visited by the thought of sacrificing my life for the sake of saving others. In the end, you would still have to die, otherwise it could benefit someone.
I didn't see much point in my research, because I didn't expect to live to get my doctorate, but as time went on, the progress of the disease seemed to slow down. In addition, I have progressed in my work. But what really changed everything was my engagement to a girl named Jane Wilde, whom I met around the same time I was diagnosed. It gave me an incentive to live. Since we were going to get married, I had to get a place, and in order to get a place, I had to complete a dissertation. So I set to work for the first time in my life. To my surprise, I liked it. Before life seemed boring to me. But the prospect of dying early made me realize that life is worth living.”
Stephen was lucky that he decided to work in theoretical physics, as it was one of the few areas of science where his illness was not a serious handicap. In addition, as his condition worsened, his scientific reputation grew, thanks to which he could take a position that allowed him to conduct research without lecturing students.
Someone said, "If you know you're going to be hanged tomorrow morning, it helps you focus well," said Stephen's mother, Isobel Hawking. - And he (the son) really focused on his work in a way that I think he would not have been able to concentrate otherwise ... No, no, of course, I cannot call such an illness luck. But for him it was less of a problem than it would be for many other people.
In 1966, Hawking defended his thesis and became a Ph.D. A few years later he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. But what about the disease? It developed in parallel professional success. If Stephen came to his wedding in 1965, leaning on a stick, then in 1967, when the eldest son was born, he walked on crutches, and during the birth of his daughter and younger son, moved in a wheelchair.
I suffer from neuromotor disease for almost all of my adulthood, but this did not stop me from having a family and achieving success in my work, writes Stephen Hawking. - And all this thanks to the help given to me by my wife, children and many other people and organizations. I was lucky that my condition worsened more slowly than in most of these cases. This proves that you should never lose hope.
Indeed, it proves. Looking at the small figure crouched in an armchair in a black suit, wearing large glasses, with motionless hands on his knees, it is hard to imagine that this man wrote dozens of fundamental scientific articles, denoting greatest achievements modern cosmology and astrophysics. His intellect, optimism and sense of humor give out only the sparkle of smart, slightly ironic eyes and the barely visible movement of his lips in a smile.
Life in a nutshell
Five years ago, shortly before his 60th birthday, Hawking lost control of a new electric wheelchair - it crashed into a wall and overturned. Stephen fell, bruised his head, broke his leg and ended up in the hospital, but he personally attended the fun anniversary celebrations in Cambridge. At that time, about two hundred guests, leading scientists from all over the world, gathered in the large hall.
I'm so glad to see you all! - Stephen Hawking said to his guests. - It's great that almost everyone who was invited was able to come. This shows that theoretical physics, like friendship, has no boundaries.
The program of the anniversary was designed for four days and ended with a symposium "The Future of Theoretical Physics and Cosmology", at which Stephen Hawking, with bruises and a plastered leg, summarized his work. In essence, it was an overview of his efforts to unify two fundamental physical theories - the relativistic theory of gravity and quantum mechanics - which play a decisive role in the evolution of our Universe. He called his speech 60 Years in a Nutshell, which literally means "60 years in a nutshell." How can one not remember Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, who said: “Oh God! I could wrap myself in nutshell and consider yourself the lord of infinite space ... "
"Einstein of our days", as journalists sometimes call him, proposed his model of the Universe, in which key role play two concepts of time. This so-called real time”, that is, the psychologically experienced time of human existence, and “imaginary time” - the time in which the life of the Universe proceeds. These times are miraculously conjugated, the scientist argues in his book A Brief History of Time. From the Big Bang to Black Holes. The book was published in 1988 in England, USA and Canada. AND more than a year- an absolute record for popular science work - topped the bestseller lists on both sides Atlantic Ocean. To date, it has been published in several tens of millions of copies, including two Russian editions.
Incidentally, the text Brief history time" in both English and Russian can be found on the Internet. Hawking writes about the most complex phenomena and problems easily and transparently. There is only one equation in the book, Einstein's famous E=ms2, and simple graphs. In addition to this, the author provided the book with a clear and precise glossary of terms. What is this book about? About the most important thing - about life, about our place in the Universe, about its birth and death, about time as a physical problem, about the relationship between space and time, which, according to the scientist, “together form a certain surface that has a finite extent, but does not has borders and edges.
Curiously, at first, Hawking was confident that the creation of a complete consistent unified theory that would lead to "a complete understanding of everything that happens around us and our own existence" was not far off. He said that its basic principles would become accessible to the understanding of every person and everyone would be able to take part in an interesting discussion about why it happened that we exist and the Universe exists. However, now Hawking is no longer sure of the possibility of creating a unified theory, which he stated in a television lecture delivered to the audience of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(USA), which everyone could also watch on the Internet.
The scientist not only gives public lectures, he rides scientific conferences around the world and gives numerous interviews, throwing newspapers sensational statements. Thus, at a recent press conference in Hong Kong, he said: “Because life on Earth is threatened by the ever-increasing danger of sudden death as a result of global warming, nuclear war or a genetically created virus and similar catastrophes - humanity, if it wants to save itself, must settle in space. Colonies on the Moon or Mars will not save us. We won't find them anywhere favorable conditions, as on Earth, until we master other star systems.
IN Lately one of Hawking's new areas of interest was the creation of exoskeletons - mechanisms that can duplicate and enhance the work of human muscles. Remember the movie "Aliens"? That episode where Lieutenant Ripley fought a space monster in a mechanical suit? This is the exoskeleton. One of the first such devices was created by a team of scientists and engineers from Japan. A mini-computer attached to a person's belt captures information about the slightest muscle movement from electrical impulses on the skin and then amplifies them using servomotors. It is assumed that such robotic suits in the future will be able to be used by people with limited motor abilities. Maybe this kind of cybernetic miracle will allow Hawking to gain some freedom of movement?
According to a recent poll, Stephen Hawking is one of the three most respected contemporaries for English boys aged 16 to 18. Rugby champion Wilkinson is in first place, Hawking is in second, and footballer Beckham is in third. Commenting on the results of the poll, Stephen said: “For many years I was called the second in the list of the smartest Britons. But being named an example to young people really does me credit.”