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Maurice, "some guy" Stephen Hawking is widely regarded as the most brilliant theoretical physicist since Einstein. Born on the anniversary of Galileo's death, he holds Newton's chair as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University. Lou Gehrig's Disease has trapped him in a wheelchair for 30 years. His groundbreaking research into black holes offers clues to that ellusive moment when the universe was born.
In "A Brief History of Time", (Bantam, 1988) he takes the layperson through the discoveries of Galileo and Newton, Einstein's general theory of relativity and then onto quantum mechanics and the search for a unified theory. The book is also the theme of a PBS video of the same name which presents an outline of his life and work.
"The Nature of Space and Time (Isaac Newton Institute Series of Lectures)", (Princeton Univ. Press, 1996) addresses further his efforts to arrive at a unified theory.
His books, tapes and various collections of essays are available through amazon.com. Search for 'hawking' and you'll be rewarded.
He is an extraordinary contributor to the ideas of humankind, and an heroic figure, not only in light of the fact that, decades ago, he was given only a few years to live.
Doug |
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