Is Hawking really right up there with Newton and Einstein?

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zerocool84

zerocool84

Lifer
Nov 11, 2004
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I've never taken a Physics class and know why Hawking is in the same conversation.
 
FoBoT

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
63,084
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fobot.com
not according to some tv shows i watched, they said hawkings actual physics theories aren't all that and other non-famous (to normal people) physicists have contributed more to the science, closer to newton/einstein
 
IronWing

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
72,905
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Cause Hawking is a baby boomer. All those physics gods that worked on the Manhattan Project get lumped under Einstein's fame umbrella (yes, I know Einstein didn't work on the Manhattan Project, doesn't matter).
 
Hacp

Hacp

Lifer
Jun 8, 2005
13,923
2
81
IronWing said:
Cause Hawking is a baby boomer. All those physics gods that worked on the Manhattan Project get lumped under Einstein's fame umbrella (yes, I know Einstein didn't work on the Manhattan Project, doesn't matter).
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Wasn't Richard Feynman more popular than Einstein?
 
Inspector Jihad

Inspector Jihad

Lifer
Apr 17, 2005
13,465
3
81
i bet there are so many guys who didn't get credit who contributed to these 'superstar scientists'. i know einstein/tesla/newton were absurdly brilliant but i'm sure some of their work was built on what others made.
 
SunSamurai

SunSamurai

Diamond Member
Jan 16, 2005
3,914
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Inspector Jihad said:
i bet there are so many guys who didn't get credit who contributed to these 'superstar scientists'. i know einstein/tesla/newton were absurdly brilliant but i'm sure some of their work was built on what others made.
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No shit?

The point was what they themselves discovered from that information, that now todays scientist read to advance humanity.
 
Fritzo

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,920
2,161
126
Hawking created many of the theories and explanations of how black holes work. His ideas gave leaps and bounds to the understanding of how the universe works and how it was formed.

His theory of Hawking Radiation (black holes give off tiny amounts of radiation, and eventually fizzle out over time) gave answers to many aspects of the origins and destiny of the universe.

He's also provided advancements in quantum physics and greatly boosted our understanding of how the universe works.

The main point being missed here is- HE DID THIS ALL IN HIS HEAD WITH NO USABLE LIMBS FOR WRITING. The Lou Gehrig's Disease that ravaged his body has made nearly every muscle useless---at this point he can only move his eyes. THIS is the reason he is so famous. If he was a healthy individual, there's no telling what he would have brought forth. People that don't agree with his fame are pretty much giving sour grapes.

The person set to take his place as the face of cosmology is Michio Kaku. His advancements in string theory and understanding of weird concepts like extra dimensions, parallel universes, and work on "The Theory of Everything" has made him popular in the scientific world, while his ability to describe his mind blowing work in an interesting and understandable way to the lay person has made him popular with the public.
 
YOyoYOhowsDAjello

YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Moderator<br>A/V & Home Theater<br>Elite member
Aug 6, 2001
31,205
45
91
That poker game would have been more interesting if Data had Zephram Cochrane there too ;)
 
destrekor

destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
126
Fritzo said:

The person set to take his place as the face of cosmology is Michio Kaku. His advancements in string theory and understanding of weird concepts like extra dimensions, parallel universes, and work on "The Theory of Everything" has made him popular in the scientific world, while his ability to describe his mind blowing work in an interesting and understandable way to the lay person has made him popular with the public.
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Seriously, this.
Michio Kaku can keep me glued to the TV whenever he is on one of the learning networks (History, Discovery, Science).
He makes the most complex concepts so apparently easy to understand, as long as you aren't looking for the "why" in how things are the way they are described.
His own work is quite impressive and he seriously is an astrophysics genius, and I enjoy how he can make it feel so fun to be taught the concepts.
 
H

h8red

Senior member
Jul 24, 2001
967
1
71
Fritzo said:

The main point being missed here is- HE DID THIS ALL IN HIS HEAD WITH NO USABLE LIMBS FOR WRITING. The Lou Gehrig's Disease that ravaged his body has made nearly every muscle useless---at this point he can only move his eyes. THIS is the reason he is so famous. If he was a healthy individual, there's no telling what he would have brought forth. People that don't agree with his fame are pretty much giving sour grapes.
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I think what sets him apart is that he did it all in his head. I have a hard time doing simple math in my head sometimes without writing it down. Can you imagine how difficult it is to do theoretical calculations?
 
J

JS80

Lifer
Oct 24, 2005
26,271
7
81
h8red said:
I think what sets him apart is that he did it all in his head. I have a hard time doing simple math in my head sometimes without writing it down. Can you imagine how difficult it is to do theoretical calculations?
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Could you imagine what he might have accomplished if he didn't have the diseases?
 
sandorski

sandorski

No Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
70,788
6,347
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JS80 said:
Could you imagine what he might have accomplished if he didn't have the diseases?
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It's very possible that he wouldn't amount to anything without his disease. Not saying he is only revered out of a sense of Pity, just saying that his disease may have been the very reason why he concentrated his thoughts on such a subject. AKA, he wasn't easily distracted by other things.
 
Gibsons

Gibsons

Lifer
Aug 14, 2001
12,530
35
91
sandorski said:
It's very possible that he wouldn't amount to anything without his disease. Not saying he is only revered out of a sense of Pity, just saying that his disease may have been the very reason why he concentrated his thoughts on such a subject. AKA, he wasn't easily distracted by other things.
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Not a very pc opinion but it might be right.
 
Gibsons

Gibsons

Lifer
Aug 14, 2001
12,530
35
91
sandorski said:
Really? :shrug:
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Yeah, really. :) A disease is 'supposed to be' a handicap he/others overcome, not something that could contribute to their success.

But from what I've read, he wasn't the most focused guy around and that changed when he started losing motor function.

One of his grad student/assistants mentioned something that struck me - they were reading a paper, and the student had finished the current page and was ready to turn it, but Hawking was still studying it. He knew he had already read it. But he realized Hawking had to get it and remember right then, since he didn't really have the option of pulling it off the shelf an hour or a week later.
 
skyking

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,779
5,941
146
sandorski said:
Really? :shrug:
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I agree with you; it is a valid premise to toss out there. Sometimes the strangest things come from a disability. There is no doubt he is brilliant but his very condition may have served to focus and direct him.
 
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