FEBRUARY 2015
EXTRAS
FUN FACTS!
Because this is our very first issue, I’m going to tip you guys on some interesting facts of the classic Big Bang Theory—and how our universe all got started.
Did you know that…
•the universe still has light “echoes” remaining from the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago? If you take a look at Planck’s map of the sky in microwave light, you can see the remains from the Big Bang.
•quarks are the first forms of matter created in the Big Bang? They are also the most basic and smallest types of matter. Protons and neutrons were formed way later when the universe was cooled down some.
•the Big Bang Theory was first suggested by a Belgian priest named Georges Lemaître? He believed that the universe originated from one single atom.
•scientists argue that gravity was created in the first few milliseconds of the Big Bang? If this is true, then gravity was formed before matter itself.
Scientist of the Month
The scientist of the month is STEPHEN HAWKING! There has been a lot of interest in Stephen Hawking recently, especially after the movie The Theory of Everything came out. (Side note: I watched a movie myself and became extremely elated when Eddie Redmayne won the best actor at the Oscars. ☺) From a very young age, Hawking had a strong passion to understand how everything worked and enjoyed observing the sky. He eventually majored in physics in Oxford and attended Cambridge to obtain his PhD. While Hawking was struggling to come up with new theories, he was suddenly diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and was given two to three years to live. Nevertheless, he went on to get his PhD and proved his love for science. Hawking worked to apply the concept of singularity into the whole universe, ultimately discovering that there was no time before the Big Bang and that universe had a beginning. In addition, he had a sudden revelation that when black holes collide, the surface area increases. Intrigued by this concept, he calculated what would happen to particles about to get sucked in from the edges of black holes and realized that some particles can escape black holes, hypothesizing black hole emissions. This was soon known as the famous Hawking radiation theory. Despite the neverending series of adversities arising from his illness, Hawking published “A Brief History of Time,” which became a major sell around the world.
The fact that Hawking is still alive today and continues to study physics despite his deteriorated physical condition proves that nothing can stop one from doing what one loves to do. Hawking not only gives hope to current ALS patients around the world, but also inspires future scientists, like you and me, to make a significant, meaningful contribution to the scientific world.
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