Dr. Mather’s talk on Stephen Hawking and black holes was absolutely fascinating to learn about. Black holes was always a topic that I found difficult to understand, but Dr. Mather was able to take the confusing topic and convey it to us in more simplistic terms. Prior to his talk, I knew the simple idea that if you were sucked into a black hole, you would never be able to come out. However, I never knew why. But Dr. Mather was able to explain the idea of energy being extracted by bringing two bodies together, which ultimately leads to all the information being lost in a black hole with infinite density. Dr. Mather seems like a brilliant physicist, and the fact that he “explains” rather than “lectures” makes me want to take one of his courses in the future just out of curiosity!
I am happy to hear this talk inspired you to understand more about the subject, Jenna. I hope you can fit one of Dr. Mathur’s courses into your schedule. Either way, I think it gives us more understanding of Hawking and it will be more meaningful to see him in Westminster Abbey on our trip.