The great scientist Stephen Hawking died on the night of March 14. Hawking, despite his illness, made an enormous contribution to the development of science and managed to explain complex theories to us in a simple language.
The great scientist Stephen Hawking died on the night of March 14. Hawking, despite his illness, made an enormous contribution to the development of science and managed to explain complex theories to us in a simple language.
Here are the most interesting discoveries and rules of life by Hawking that we want to share with you.
IQ is for fools
Hawking didn’t know his IQ score and wasn’t even interested in this question. He was sure only losers cared about this score.
Our entire planet is an aquarium with bulging walls
Stephen Hawking believed that all of us are fish living in a curved aquarium bowl. We judge the world in a distorted way, because we look at it from the inside, without having the opportunity to study it from the outside.
In accord with this theory, Hawking continued exploring the Universe, breaking all stereotypes.
The Universe formed from “nothing” and gravitation
Hawking claimed there was no mystery in the origin of the Universe. It could easily generate itself out of “nothing.” According to the Big bang theory, first it existed as a tiny, but really hot particle with a huge density, infinite mass, and, consequently, infinite gravitation.
About 14 billion years ago it exploded and created the space for our Universe.
Stephen Hawking suffered from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The disease showed itself when the future great physicist was 18 years old. Doctors told the young man he would live for 2.5 years more, but Hawking managed to live to the age of 76.
He talked about science easily and simply, as if it were something self-evident. He had dreams that his books were popular among people who were far from science, and sold in kiosks installed in airport waiting areas.
Illusion is the enemy of knowledge
According to Hawking, the main enemy of knowledge is not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge. We think we know everything, while the world around us presents us with newer and newer surprises. Several dozen years ago, even science fiction couldn’t imagine the existence of black holes in the Universe, and now their presence is recognized by the scientific community.
According to Hawking, the research and discovery of something new is much more interesting than how much money you get for it.
His ultimate place is not on Earth
When someone asked Hawking which place he would like to visit, his answer was a place that’s definitely not on Earth. According to the scientist, if he had a spare couple of billion of dollars, he would rent a spacecraft and fly away from here.
Although the physicist never managed to fly into space, he did experience zero gravity. The American company Zero Gravity gave him this opportunity by allowing Hawking to fly on a specially equipped aircraft, which, having gained the altitude, “dives” down, and for 25 seconds this creates a shift to zero gravity.
The past is just a range of possibilities
According to Hawking, it doesn’t matter what memories we keep about the past. After all, events in the past don’t happen in a linear way. They happen in all possible ways. And, until an outside observer appears, they simply float in an uncertain state.
This idea lies in the basis of quantum mechanics, which Albert Einstein categorically didn’t accept.
“God does not play dice,” Einstein said.
However, Hawking, citing the black holes as an example, claimed that God does not only play dice; he throws them where they cannot be seen.
Time is relative
This is where Hawking was in absolute agreement with Einstein. They both believed that time is a relative thing. And the closer the object is to the Earth, the slower the time flow is for it.
Hawking advocated that this circumstance should be taken into account when programming GPS systems, which should help avoid errors that, according to the scientist, can accumulate at a speed of 10 km (6 miles) per day in determining global positions.
Fate is an illusion
Stephen Hawking didn’t believe that everything in our lives is predetermined and jokingly noticed that even the most pronounced fatalists still look around before crossing the road.
The physicist considered himself an optimist and, in spite of the fact that he wasn’t sure that humanity would live for at least a thousand more years (there are so many scenarios in which every living creature on a tiny planet can die), believed that by that time the human race flies away from here they will have explored all of space.
Life is not a place for tragedy
“Life would be tragic, if it weren’t funny,” Hawking said. Today, when the whole world mourns over the great physicist, for many people these words look like a cure for sadness.
The reaction of close people to the scientist’s death
Stephen Hawking had three adult children.His oldest son is interested in software, his younger son and daughter are into foreign languages.
On the morning of March 14, they contacted the media and said they were deeply distressed by the death of their father. “He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world,” said Hawking’s children. They have also quoted their father.
