From the start, I enjoyed the topic of discussion for this presentation. I am fascinated by the works completed by Stephen Hawking. He was a brilliant individual that showed genuine character despite his health hardships. His story grasped my attention with the film, The Theory of Everything, which made me sob in a theater more than any other film has. I am grateful that the film was created though, because it provided me with a greater understanding and appreciation of Hawking’s life and accomplishments.
Going into this lecture I had very little knowledge on the concepts of black holes. I appreciated that Dr. Mathur took his time and clearly explained some of the basic concepts behind black holes. He made the concepts much easier to grasp compared to attempting to read articles on the subject matter or even compared to the physics professors that I had at OSU. I found it really interested that in a time not too long ago, in the 1960s and 1970s, the existence of black holes was heavily debated and only a young concept relatively speaking. It is fascinating that Hawking was able to bring about a major debate within physics, called the black hole information paradox. I have great respect for individuals capable of original thought, particularly within science; I doubt that I will ever be able to create a new scientific theory, but I hope that I may live through new discoveries. I appreciate having a greater understanding of black hole horizons, Hawking radiation, the Big Bang Theory, singularities, etc. It is interesting that the radiation of particles culminates in the loss of information. But, what was most intriguing was that Hawking continued to work with science and make it popular in culture, and that he continued to participate in scientific functions until his death. I believe that that makes him a true scientist. The one thing that is clear is that at the end of the day we know so little. I liked Dr. Mathur’s comment that the more we learn, the more confusing the picture becomes. I agree with this comment.