Science lost one of its' greatest minds.
Sticking within and working upon Einstein's foundations and their quantum implications, Stephen Hawking advanced theoretical physics more than anyone since Feynman.
He passed at the age of 76.
The resiliency and drive of this man are things I truly respect. To go through the time of writing the tomes of his thought experients with his eyes...is remarkable. His best known work is probably "A Brief History of Time"; written to be accessible to the public, it stands at a modest 256 pages.
But even with that page count, you have to remember it wrote it letter-by-letter with his right cheeek and eyeball movements. It is said the book took around 3-4 years for him to write.
And he wrote several books, did interviews and a great deal more things that the likes of minds like mind can't even comprehend.
Dedication & Genius....
A powerful combination.
What I can say is this, to end on a positive note with this news...I think he passed away because he finally solved the puzzle that drove him and is the focus/sticking point of most theoretical physicists....what happened before the big bang?
[ http://bgr.com/2018/03/06/before-the-big-bang-stephen-hawking-explanation/ ]
Last week it was announced that Hawking said he believed he had solved the question. The timing of his passing seems like no mere coincidence to me.
In his own words...
I think he was content that his life's purpose and his years of hard work had finally paid off so the 'spark' (no pun intended) that kept him doing pulled a super nova. Expanding rapidly and shining extremely bright before its mass floats away as the star disintegrates.
Thanks for the inspiration Professor Hawking. I'd say R.I.P. and stop there...but with what I just said I'm confident he already is.
[Source: wikimedia]