MindMap Gallery A Brief History of Time

A Brief History of Time

A Brief History of Time is a non-fiction science book by English physicist Stephen Hawking. Hawking describes the structure, origin, development, and eventual fate of the Universe, which is the subject of astronomy and current physics, in layman's words in A Brief History of Time. A Brief History of Time is Stephen Hawking's attempt to explain the most complicated concepts and ideas of physics to the average Joe, such as space, time, black holes, planets, stars, and gravity, so that we, too, can better understand how our planet was created, where it came from, and where it is going. In A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking attempts to explain a range of subjects in cosmology, including the Big Bang, black holes and light cones, to the non-specialist reader. His main goal is to give an overview of the subject, but he also attempts to explain some complex mathematics. Hawking discusses the possibility of time travel and the universe. The exotic realms of black holes and quarks, antimatter and "arrows of time," the big bang and a greater God—where the possibilities are magnificent and unexpected—are explored in A Brief History of Time. Stephen Hawking brings us closer to the ultimate truths at the very center of creation with dazzling imagery and amazing imagination.

Edited at 2022-08-22 09:57:51

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Outline

A Brief History Of Time

Overview

In A Brief History of Time, Hawking presents the search by physicists for a single unified theory to explain everything in a way that the average person can theoretically understand. He traces the history of this search through the development of multiple theories by some of the foremost scientists of the past and present.

Relative Time & Space Your experience of time and space depends on your location and velocity.

Uncertainty Principle The idea that the position and speed of subatomic particles cannot be accurately measured became a key scientific concept.

Four Fundamental Forces Electromagnetic, gravitational, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear forces keep matter in the universe together and in place.

Main Character

Galileo Galilei

Put on trial by the Catholic Church for saying that the Earth revolved around the sun

Albert Einstein

Came up with a theory of relativity, showing that time is relative instead of absolute

Isaac Newton

Established the physics of motion, showing that space is relative rather than absolute

Numbering

300

Years to the date that Hawking was born after the death of Galileo on January 8, 1642

1985

Year Hawking lost his voice and had to start using a computer system to talk

2017

Year Hawking predicted humanity would have to leave Earth within 100 years to save itself from extinction

Age at which Hawking was diagnosed with ALS, a disorder that destroys muscle function

Key terms

Big Bang Theory

The theory that the universe started as a single concentration of mass and time that expanded outward

Cosmology

The study of the universe and its origins

Black Hole

A place in space where the gravitational pull is so intense that nothing can escape

Quantum Mechanics

The study of the way atoms and subatomic particles act and interact

General Relativity

Albert Einstein's theory that gravity results from objects and energy causing curves in space and time

Author

STEPHEN HAWKING BORN 1942

A British physicist, Hawking pioneered exploration of black holes and popularized the investigations of cosmology through A Brief History of Time. The popularity of his book, combined with his public appearances, has since made Hawking a well-known public figure in science and popular culture.