Stephen Hawking to retire - October 27, 2008
You might be worried that this blog is developing a Stephen Hawking obsession. Following on from the Stephen Hawking statue and the Stephen Hawking tattoo* comes the news of the Stephen Hawking retirement.
The BBC says:
The physicist, who has motor neurone disease, will give up his position as Cambridge University's Lucasian Professor of Mathematics next year.The university said it was policy for holders of the title to retire at 67 and Prof Hawking will be 67 in January.
However it’s not bad news for Hawking fans, as a spokeswoman for the university told the Daily Telegraph he would continue to work, just as Emeritus Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. “The post is retiring but Hawking isn’t,” she said. “Nothing will change. It is merely a formality.”
If you fancy applying to be the next Lucasian Professor, the advert is now online. “Applications are invited from persons working on mathematics applied to the physical world, with strong preference for the broad area of theoretical physics,” it says.
* He was the subject, not the canvas
Comments
"However, if we do discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists..."
So goes the concluding paragraph of his bestseller, A Brief History of Time. I wrote to him some years ago for comments on that 'complete theory' that I had published subsequent to his book. Understandably, the good professor may not have been given the message due to his abnormal time limitations, too. I do hope the situation will now change in his retirement at least for a perusal of the one-page summary (1) and the letter to the US Department of Energy (2).
The final theory is indeed understandable by everyone, much more than even the professor might have envisioned. Typically, there is no force in nature that could be deemed unique or fundamental. All forces are brought about by the momentum of the lowly photon.
And so, my concluding paragraph here... However, if we do discover a complete theory, will man ever have the greatness of mind and of heart to accept it? (The minimum upfront of US$25,000 to any physics department for a refutation remains unclaimed for nearly ten years now!) Cheers!
(1) www.sittampalam.net/Summary.pdf
(2) www.sittampalam.net/DOE.pdf
Posted by: Eugene Sittampalam | October 30, 2008 08:20 PM
http://notimeforclocks.wordpress.com/2008/11/02/15/
Posted by: Grant Rogers | November 2, 2008 02:36 PM