What do you know about Stephen Hawking?

Stephen Hawking (1942 – 2018) was a great twentieth-century British theoretical physicist. He was great at his scientific discoveries about the universe and in his own life. At the age of twenty, after graduating from Oxford University and starting to work as a doctoral student in physics at the University of Cambridge, he contracted a fatal disease – amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). progressive deterioration of motor neurons. “In Stephen’s case, the disease started in the legs and then ascended. When he lost control of his thigh muscles, he was unable to stand. When he lost control of his body muscles, he could no longer sit on his own. When the disease hit his chest, he began to find it difficult to breathe. In 1985, at the age of forty and having suffered from the disease for twenty years, he had to undergo a tracheostomy to create a breathing hole that left him unable to speak. His mind was still working perfectly, only the body that carried it became inert.”

He was diagnosed by doctors with only a few years to live. But miraculously he lived for more than half a century, despite spending his entire life in a wheelchair, with a team of carers serving his individual day-to-day needs. But the physical illness thought to defeat him, on the contrary, prompted him to delve deeper into physics and make great discoveries that contribute to science and to people.

He said: “We all know that we will die. For most, it’s an abstract thought. Not for me.” And Stephen Hawking’s name reverberated around the world when he wrote the book “A Brief History of Time,” which presented in popular scientific form the discoveries of physics early in his career. First time in 1988 when Hawking was 46 years old and quickly became a bestseller in the world.In our country alone, “A Brief History of Time” through Pham Van Thieu’s translation first printed from 1993 to 2021 was printed and printed. 28 times for every 2000 copies, so far in Vietnam, 56,000 copies of this work by S. Hawking have been published.

Leonard Mlodinow, author of Memoirs of Stephen Hawking, is also a theoretical physicist. Hawking had read the books written by Mlodinow and liked his writing style, so in 2003 he invited him to write a joint book on physics. It was the book “The Grand Design”. “This is about Stephen’s latest work, and we started from scratch, writing about theories he’d never popularized before – and yet we’d have to deal with some pretty complicated issues. . There are parallel universes, then the idea that it is possible to emerge from nothing, and the fact that the laws of nature seem to be finely tuned just for life to exist.This memoir is about the friendship, attachment and cooperation of S. Hawking and L. Mlodinow in the process of writing and completing the manuscript of “The Great Blueprint” through the trips to meet. Mlodinow’s Stephen from California (USA) to Cambridge (UK) from 2003 to 2010.

The book written by L. Mlodinow interweaves the physics problems that S. Hawking researched and the stories of his life that the author observed during the years of meeting and collaborating on the book. By presenting a simple, easy to understand but still scientific accuracy, the author helps readers understand Hawking’s scientific career in the field of theoretical physics as he continues to develop and deepen his research. of the great scientist of the twentieth century A. Einstein left in the theory of special and general relativity. For example, we will have an idea of ​​what top-down cosmology is, what “Hawking radiation” is. Broadly speaking, in terms of science, L. Mlodinow’s book also gives readers an overview of the picture of theoretical physics in the last century, understanding what the work of theoretical physicists is.

In his memoirs about Hawking, Mlodinov tells us what this great physicist was like in life, in relationships with family, friends, and colleagues, thereby understanding why it hurts physically. He was so weak that it was hard to imagine, but he still worked, studied science diligently and achieved great success. “There are many words that can be used to describe Stephen. Brave. Wayward. Incredulous. Have a vision. Passion. Hand play. Decisive. Like to have fun. Excellent. But as you get to know him more closely, you realize that what most characterizes him as a whole is vulnerability. The sweat glands can torment him. The breathing hole could suffocate him. His friends or even his wife could betray him. He was left at the mercy of everyone and everything, and as our relationship deepened, I admired his self-acceptance with ease..” (p. 242).

Mlodinow tells about Hawking’s married life, about his “expansion” family when the couple was not divorced but allowed the mistress of both husband and wife to live in the house. About Diana, Stephen’s former carer, whom Stephen loves to listen to her read, play the piano, who knows how to bond with Stephen. “He has the most expressive face in the world.” – Diana once said to Mlodinow in a voice full of love.”His eyebrows move here, and his lips move there. I know him so well that I can follow his thoughts. I could write a whole book just about how to communicate with Stephen.” After two broken marriages to Jane and Elaine, Stephen decided to propose to Diana. But then he withdrew that proposal because he wanted to keep peace with his children. However Diana kept the ring. Stephen’s proposal.

Leonard Mlodinow’s Memoirs of Friendship and Physics with Stephen Hawking is a fascinating read. Reading the whole book, the reader sees Hawking as the author saw it: “Stephen isn’t just looking for the secrets of the universe. But he is looking for people to share with himIt is thanks to the author’s writing style. But also thanks to the Vietnamese translation of the translator. Being a theoretical physicist himself, Pham Van Thieu was able to convey scientific knowledge about physical theories. He is one of the founders and main translators of the bookcase “Science & Discovery”. The world has been translated into Vietnamese by Pham Van Thieu, which is pure, full of science and literature, and reads well.

See you next time with other new books!

Hanoi, May 19, 2022