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Stephen Hawking's Universe

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I had read Stephen Hawking's Universe years ago, but when it was brought to my attention again recently I decided to reread it, something I rarely do. I have to admit, it fares well despite the passing of time ( it was written in the mid-80s). This is in part because it is one of the better and simpler introductions to cosmology and the history of the Big Bang Theory. It is also due to the charming personal details woven through the book by its author and relating to Stephen Hawking the man.

As most of those who follow cosmology probably already know, Stephen Hawking is afflicted with a serious neuromuscular disease. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease (after the baseball player who died of the disorder) had confined Hawking to a wheelchair by the writing of the book and has since put him on a portable ventilator. Having worked with people suffering with this disorder earlier in my career, I can attest both to the seriousness of the malady and to my surprise that the gentleman has survived as long as he has. Both facts make his intellectual achievements, the dedication of his caretakers, and his own personal tenacity for life very real to me and very impressive.

John Boslough, the author, is a scientific journalist. He appears to understand physics at least well enough to describe it for the layperson, and does so in a readable style. He also creates a biography that is flattering to the subject without diminishing the contributions of others to the field. The book is, however, extremely simple, more of a history of the development of the theory of the big bang and black holes than a thorough explanation of them, and the interested reader would do well to look at Hawking's own popular writings on the subject for a more thorough and professional point of view. My only complaint about the book would be that it does not contain any form of bibliography, a resource I always consider one of a book's most valuable assets. It helps the reader to find material for further study, and it also provides a measure of the preparedness of the author on his topic!

I'd recommend the book to any beginner who is curious about the Big Bang Theory, about black holes, the Theory of Relativity, the Theory of Quantum Mechanics, or about Stephen Hawking. I would also say that any person from junior high level or above would be able to understand the material.

In this present-day world, it seems impossible that there could someone who has not heard of Stephen Hawking, even if it is only from his appearances on Star Trek: The Next Generation or the Simpsons. And yet within this frail, tiny man lies one of the most potent minds mankind has ever borne forth, yet I am given to wonder if he would have achieved his current level of notoriety if he was not crippled by ALS. Or if his powerful mind would be less so were it not trapped within the body of an invalid. I cannot answer these questions, but instead I read mainstream publications and like so many others, stand in awe at the feet of a man who carries Einstein's legacy further toward a final answer. A unified field theory.

It started ten of fifteen billion years ago during the Big Bang -that explosion that had blown out all of the matter in the universe. The Big Bang didn't simply occur in the void of space, it created space as well. But what Hawking is looking for, partially, is knowledge as to whether the fundamental forces of physics existed or not within the first few billionths of a second after the explosion or whether or not time existed either. Hawking, and others in his field, like Roger Penrose, are trying to find a correlation between cosmology and quantum mechanics, which is the study of the internal workings of atoms and the movement of subatomic particles. Indeed, it is a journey through space-time and one that if found will teach us a little more about the universe.

From the dust of stars we came and to the stars we return. Much like "A Brief History of Time", we are given truly intimate glimpses into the intricacies of both the universe and Hawking himself. He is a man with a great sense of humor coupled with an almost child-like enthusiasm for new things. His bet over the origins of Cygnus X-1 with physicist Kip Thorne certainly bears this out: "If it turns out that the binary system does not contain a black hole -breaking many a physicist's hear- Hawking will win a four-year subscription to the British humor magazine Private Eye. If it is a Black Hole, Thorne will win a one-year subscription to Penthouse." In effect Hawking bet against himself, since he believes that one of the objects is in fact a black hole.

Indeed, no other object of stellar phenomena has so captured the public's imagination and superstition than the prospect of a black hole. These once-massive stars of 10 to 15 solar masses that have collapsed down to mere fractions of their previous size and emit fields of intense gravitation. And those that get so small-to the point of a singularity, may yet reveal more information on the origins of the universe, since Hawking theorizes that what was before the Big Bang may indeed be imitated by what is within a black hole. As with so many things, others have asked why is it so important? And like Sir Edmund Hillary replied when asked why he wished to climb Mount Everest, "Because it is there."

What is also remarkable is that ALS usually kills individuals much sooner and by all rights Hawking should have died years ago. But somehow he keeps going, (he turned 59 in January), and perhaps it is that drive to explore with his mind if not his body, that keeps him going. But I for one am very grateful that Mr. Hawking is still with us, because the world needs great explorers.

Stephen Hawking's Universe by John Boslough is an introduction to the life and works of one of the most remarkable scientists of our time, Stephen Hawking. Boslough, whom has delved deep into his life, depicts Stephen Hawking in the book as a man, and not as a brilliant scientist. This depiction also sets the tone for the rest of the book as Boslough uses his own personal, creative flair to explain scientific theories surrounding such topics as quasars, quarks, black holes, the Big Bang, and the universe into easily understandable terms. For the large task given, Boslough's attempt is quite admirable as he uses a series of everyday examples to simplify the technical jargon for the half-enthused readers, such as myself. Boslough's explanations give the readers truly wonderful insights into the subject of cosmology, a subject that was otherwise likely never to be comprehendible to me. Boslough has created a biography that is both humble and flattering of Stephen Hawkings for his discoveries are always connected to the forbearers of the field such as Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein, whose contributions are all discussed within the book. After reading the book, it is not hard to tell why John Boslough was compelled to recount the story of Stephen Hawking. The scientific breakthroughs that have come from a man confined to his wheelchair will alter anyone's ignorant perception of the universe and isolated thinking of the world. I recommend this book to anyone who is not already an expert on cosmology and looking to indulge one's mind into the intricacies of the universe without overly complex reasoning. Plus, a reader may come across a very interesting individual in doing so.

This small book, originally written in 1984, was and is still revealing.
Firstly, on a personal level, Hawking admitted already at that time that "As far as theoretical physics are concerned, I'm already ... quite far over the hill'.
Secondly, it gives an excellent explanation of Hawking's contribution to theoretical physics (black holes and their similarities to the beginning of time).
Thirdly, Hawking has outspoken opinions about the anthropic principle (against), the universe of Eastern mysticism (an illusion), the many universes theory (not meaningful) or determinism ('Even if we do achieve a complete unified theory, we shall not be able to make detailed predictions in any but the simplest situations').

This booklet offers also excellent examples for the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics and contains Hawking's Inaugural Lecture 'Is the End in Sight for Theoretical Physics?'

Although this book is, from a theoretical point of view, out of date (no superstrings), it should not be missed.

I've always be fascinated with Stephen Hawking, for everything that he has overcome and for all that he has achieved, which would be remarkable in and of itself. While is book, a brief history of the universe looks interesting, it's size I feel is a bit daunting. So I thought this would be a good intro book, and it was very well written by John Boslough. In such a short book he shows not only many of Stephen's early work, but showed a bit of the man behind the theories, including little stories of his sense of humor.

I was fullly please with my order... My expectations have been met in every angle.

How does one become an elder of the tribe?

A first at Cambridge is a long way toward making one an elder.

Being abused for discovering a fact like evaporating black holes also seems to help. Where there is a limit to eldering Hawking reached it in 1980 when he said the end of science was in sight. In my own cosmology research I have found indications of seven layers of self-similar quantum uncertainty based on odd powers of the velocity of light. Hawking's limited physics is based on only two of these layers. In terms of observation we have only Levy jump

structure in distributions of galaxy clusters , dark matter and the observation by Dr. Parker of a very small particle in supernova spectra to indicate that these unknown theoretical layers actually exist.

Like terrorism which kills it's own best and brightest, a doctrine of limits on science is self defeating and probably wrong philosophically as well. An elder of the tribe can be mistaken and so mislead others.

We appear as a tribe to be at a plateau of learning, but not at an end to it.

This is one of those very FEW books that I have actually read more than half a dozen times (yes, call me crazy)! A good book is difficult to put down, but a great book is difficult to not re-read!

I have always had an interest in Physics, particularly cosmology, black holes, and the Big Bang theory. This is one of the first books I've ever read on such topics. Boslough has a way of presenting his material in a concise, enjoyable, interesting way. This is one of the best science/physics books (for the layperons) I've ever read! This is THE book that got me hooked on further and continued readings about physics, cosmology, the Big Bang, quantum theory, and so on. Were it not for this book, I'd still be dreading the physics classes I took in college more than 15 years ago!

This book also laid a lot of the foundation work for my research into black holes in preparation for the writing of my science fiction novel "Temporal Armageddon".