Complete the mind map about Stephen Hawking using information on the Internet.
Remember to visit reliable websites with your teacher's guidance if necessary, take notes, use your own words as far as possible and avoid direct copying of chunks of information.
Why was Hawking an important person?
Stephen Hawking was one of the world’s leading theoretical physicists.
He was famous for his work with and cosmology.
He was also a writer of
Background information
Year of birth:
Place of birth:
Children:
Early life
Hawking’s parents were well-educated. Both of them were Oxford University graduates.
Hawking’s father was a respected medical researcher.
Hawking entered
Stephen Hawking
Suggested answers
Why was Hawking an important person?
Stephen Hawking was one of the world’s leading theoretical physicists.
He was famous for his work with black holes and cosmology.
He was also a writer of science books for people who are not scientists.
Background information
Year of birth: 1942
Place of birth: Oxford, the UK
Children: had 3 children
Early life
Hawking’s parents were well-educated. Both of them were Oxford University graduates.
Hawking’s father was a respected medical researcher.
Hawking entered Oxford University to study physics and chemistry at the age of 17.
He studied at Cambridge University for a PhD in cosmology.
At 21, he was diagnosed with a motor neurone disease. He could not move or talk very well. His illness got worse and worse. He could not move or talk completely.
After obtaining his PhD, he got a teaching job at a university.
During his career life, he discovered important theories about the Big Bang, black holes and so on.
He wrote books about science for non-scientists. His first book, A Brief History of Time, was very popular.
A computer programmer developed a speaking programme that could be directed by head or eye movement for Hawking so that he could communicate with the world.
In 2006, Hawking visited the University of Science and Technology in Hong Kong. He said “While there’s life, there is hope.” to show his appreciation for life at a press conference.
"While there’s life, there is hope."
"Life would be tragic if it weren’t funny."
"We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special."