The Contribution of Stephen Hawking

Essay by kasiaplCollege, Undergraduate April 2006

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Since the beginning, people have been trying to find out where the universe came from. Some people believe that God created it, and others try to explain the formation of it through science and theoretical physics. Stephen Hawking, a famous scientist who overcame his disability and tried to find answers to many questions by using physics laws and mathematical equations. Before he started his career he was diagnosed with ALS, supposedly a fatal disease, at a young age and given only about two and a half years to live. However, he lives to this date and he is best known for his research that deals with the understanding of black holes. Hawking challenged himself by overcoming his severe disability and trying to solve questions about the universe that are still not solved entirely.

At a young age Hawking was diagnosed with ALS, "a degenerative motor neuron disease that causes atrophy of muscles throughout the body" (Fleisher 147).

However, in spite of that, he decided to devote himself to studying physics and the understanding of the universe. Gradually, he started to lose the use of his body to the point that he could not move any muscle in his body. Though, he was unable to communicate with the world, his mind would work in perfect order (VHS). Someone came up with a computer machine that would allow Hawking to communicate with the world. It was a speech synthesizer that was attached to his wheelchair and controlled by pressing a button. Although, "With a voice synthesizer,..., his ability to lecture and to publish books and articles, has not been compromised." (Fleisher 147), Hawking would not allow anything to stop his research. He would get injured and had to be in the hospital but that would not interfere with his studies either. He...