Stephen Hawking: Master of the multiverse

     To describe what happens at the big bang, two very different perspectives on the world must be combined into a single unified framework. This is what Thomas Hertog was working on with Stephen Hawking until Hawking died last year. Credit: Shutterstock

     The multiverse challenges science as we know it, and Hawking wasn't pleased with it. But our journey to the edges of time has since reshaped our vision of the cosmos, and ourselves.

     When I first met Stephen Hawking in his Cambridge office in 1998 he had mixed feelings about the multiverse –the idea that our universe is but one of many.

     Together, we set out on a quest to gain a deeper understanding of it. Our journey led us to the big bang and the beginning of time, and paved the way for an entirely new vision of the cosmos.

     The multiverse is a natural, and probably even unavoidable, consequence of a quantum world that is fundamentally governed by uncertainty and chance. But the existence of a multiverse challenges science as we know it and limits what cosmology has to say about our world.

     Some have even argued the multiverse idea should not be regarded as science at all, since we can't hop from one universe to another to test it. Hawking, stubborn, smart, and above all infinitely passionate about cosmology, disagreed with this.

     "My goal is simple", he once declared. "It is a complete understanding of the universe. Why it exists, and why it is the way it is." Thus we set out to weave the intuitive idea of the multiverse into a rigorous and testable framework for cosmology.

Question 1: Indicate whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a) Thomas Hertog has been working with Stephen Hawking since last year.

b) When Thomas Hertog first met Stephen Hawking he (Hawking) wasn’t completely sure about the multiverse.

c) Some people think that the idea of the multiverse can be easily tested.

d)  Hawking was obstinate, brilliant and a cosmology enthusiast.

Our journey

     I had come to Cambridge from Belgium to study theoretical cosmology, and Hawking took me on as his graduate student. Working shoulder to shoulder, for days on end, we gradually found ourselves on the same scientific wavelength.

     He was a truth seeker, with an insatiable passion for pure scientific inquiry and an incredible joie de vivre. I believe this is what kept him going despite his physical challenges. It's also what made working with him so much fun—you never quite knew when the physics ended and the party began.

     Stephen and I grew close through our intellectual connection and shared joy of discovery. We became soul mates in our mission to get a grip on the multiverse.

     During the first years of our collaboration, Stephen communicated through his computer by pressing a mouse he held in his hand to direct a cursor on the screen and select the word he wanted from a digital dictionary. This way he would compose sentences at a rate of a few words per minute.

     When he lost the strength in his hand needed to control the mouse, Stephen switched to moving the cursor on the screen by activating a motion sensor mounted on his glasses with his cheek. And when this too became difficult, I would position myself in front of Stephen, clearly in his field of vision, and probe his mind by firing questions.

     Stephen's eyes would light up brightly when my arguments resonated with his intuition. We would build on this, navigating and exploiting the common language and the mutual understanding we had developed over the years.

Question 2: Answer the following questions in your own words according to the text.

a) Describe Stephen Hawking’s character according to the author.

b) Why does the author say that they were “soul mates”?

Exploring the edges of the universe

     Our search for a deeper understanding of the underlying architecture of the cosmos led us to the most extreme realms of our universe at the edge of time: At the end of time deep inside black holes, and the beginning of time at the Big Bang.

     What happens at the edges of the world, when time ceases to be meaningful, and Einstein's theory of gravity breaks down?

     "My goal is simple," Stephen Hawking declared. "It is a complete understanding of the universe. Why it exists, and why it is the way it is." Credit: Shutterstock

    Are the physical conditions at the universe's origin anchored within the realm of the natural sciences, encoding the overall evolution of the universe that emerges?

     Why does the universe bother to exist at all?

Question 3: Find words or phrases in the text that correspond to the words and definitions given.

a) More profound, detailed (paragraph 1)

b) To direct, to guide (paragraph 1)

c) To stop (paragraph 2)

d) aspiration (paragraph 3)

e) Development (paragraph 4 )

Quantum theory predicts a multiverse

     At our universe's origin, the macroscopic world dominated by gravity and described by Einstein's warping of space-time merges with the microscopic world of particles, ruled by quantum theory.

     To describe what happens at the Big Bang, these two very different perspectives on the world must be combined into a single unified framework.

     But quantum theory predicts probabilities for different outcomes. In the quantum theory of particles these could be probabilities to find a particle in one place or another. Applied to cosmology, however, the outcome is an entire universe!

     So, any quantum theory of the Big Bang will thus predict a variety of different universes, each with its own evolution. Together these form a multiverse, a superposition of many worlds, existing in parallel.

The hologram at the beginning of time

     Drawing on new developments in string theory, Stephen and I developed such a quantum model of the Big Bang.

     String theory predicts that our universe is fundamentally a hologram that reveals itself only in the most extreme conditions, such as those at the Big Bang.

     This is a bit abstract, but a hologram is a kind of change of dimension in which all information in a volume of space is projected and encoded on a surface. We used the notion of holography, developed in string theory, to project out the dimension of time in the earliest stages of evolution of our universe, and to describe these in an entirely timeless fashion.

     In doing so our theory avoids the breakdown of Einstein's theory of relativity at the Big Bang, because we lose any notion of time on our way towards it.

In control of the multiverse

     Shortly before his passing I sensed Stephen strongly felt holography gave us the grip on the multiverse he had always searched for.

     We are certainly not down to a unique universe, but our description of the Big Bang as a hologram implies a significant reduction of the multiverse, down to an ensemble of universes which evolve in a way similar to ours.

     With characteristic and unmitigated enthusiasm, Stephen declared we were at last in control of the multiverse – and he liked being in control.

     Perhaps we are. But much more research is needed to decode the hologram at the beginning of time to fully apprehend the new view of the universe that it conceals.

Question 4: Choose the correct option, a, b, c, or d for each question.

1. Two different perspectives on the world must be combined…

a) for to describe the Big Bang.

b) in order to describe the Big Bang.

c) so that describe the Big Bang-

d) in order for describe the Big Bang.

2. According to string theory our universe…

a)  will reveal itself only in extreme conditions.

b) can reveal itself only in extreme conditions.

c) must reveal itself only in extreme conditions.

d) won’t reveal itself only in extreme conditions.

3. If we describe the Big Bang as a hologram,

a) the multiverse might be significantly reduced.

b) the multiverse won’t be reduced.

c) the multiverse will be significantly reduced.

October 11, 2018 by Thomas Hertog, University Of Leuven, ScienceNordic

KEY     

Question 1:

a) FALSE. This is what Thomas Hertog was working on with Stephen Hawking until Hawking died last year.

b) TRUE.  When I first met Stephen Hawking in his Cambridge office in 1998 he had mixed feelings about the multiverse.

c) FALSE.  Some have even argued the multiverse idea should not be regarded as science at all, since we can't hop from one universe to another to test it.

d) TRUE.  Hawking, stubborn, smart, and above all infinitely passionate about cosmology.

Question 2:

a) He looked for the truth, he was passionate about science and he enjoyed life.

b) They were intellectually connected and both loved discovery. They both had a great interest in understanding the multiverse.

Question 3:

a) Deeper

b) To lead to, led to

c) To cease

d) Goal

e) Evolution

Question 4:

1. b) In order to describe the Big Bang.

2. a) will reveal itself only in extreme conditions

3. c) the multiverse will be significantly reduced.

//phys.org/news/2018-10-stephen-hawking-master-multiverse.html

Montreal physicians will soon have a new possible prescription for their patients: fine art.

                                                     

                                                       


A doctors' organization and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) are partnering to allow physicians to write prescriptions for free museum visits. The initiative is being billed as the first of its kind in the world. The project launches 1 November.

     The museum says patients will be able to have a "relaxing, revitalizing experience, a moment of respite" browsing their collection.

Physicians members of Médecins francophones du Canada will be able to register, in the initial phase of the project, to issue up to 50 prescriptions for a visit to MMFA collections and exhibitions as a complement to more traditional treatment options.

Nathalie Bondil, the museum's director general, is behind the initiative and believes that cultural experiences will soon be recognized, like physical activity currently, for their health benefits. She told the BBC that the "neutral, beautiful, inspiring space" of a museum can boost mood, improve wellbeing, and give patients a chance to explore experiences and senses outside of their illness. Ms Bondil hopes if the initiative is a success it will be picked up by museums around the world."We can open new doors, not just for the patients, but also for the doctors," she said.

In a statement, Dr Hélène Boyer, with the Médecins francophones du Canada, said there is a growing body of research that suggests contact with art has a positive impact on people's health."I am confident that my patients will be delighted to visit the museum to ease their suffering, without any side effects," she said.

Doctors can prescribe the visits to help address both the physical and mental ailments of their patients.

Question 1: Indicate whether the following statements are true or false. Give evidence from the text.

a) All doctors in Canada will be able to prescribe free museum visits.
b) Prescribing this cultural activity is similar to prescribing exercise.
c) Ms. Bondil believes that art therapy will surely become popular outside Canada.
d) Patients have already been exposed to contact with art.
e) Only patients with mental disorders will benefit from visits to museums.

Question 3: Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a) associate (p.1)
b) look around (p.2)
c) encourage (p.4)
d) alleviate (p.5)
e) illness


KEY

Question 1

a) False. " Physicians members of Médecins francophones du Canada will be able to register, in the initial phase of the project, to issue up to 50 prescriptions for a visit to MMFA collections"
b) True. " cultural experiences will soon be recognized, like physical activity currently, for their health benefits"
c) True. " Ms Bondil hopes if the initiative is a success it will be picked up by museums around the world."
d) True. " there is a growing body of research that suggests contact with art has a positive impact on people's health."
e) False. " Doctors can prescribe the visits to help address both the physical and mental ailments of their patients."

Question 3

a) partnering / to partner
b) browsing / to browse
c) boost / to boost
d) ease / to ease
e) ailments

Writing a Letter

Complete the spaces with the sentences below

Dear Jane,

Thank you for your last letter ____________________ (1) . I am happy that you have decided to start learning French like me. If you want, we can go on holiday together next summer to France and then _______________________ (2) . When I come to visit you in London in the spring, we can talk together in French if you want.

Yesterday, I returned from my short holiday camping in Scotland. I went with Melissa, my friend that you met ____________________________(3) . Do you remember her? We stayed in her tent in a campsite near Edinburgh but the weather was terrible for _________________(4) we were there. It rained every day and everything was so wet and ________________(5) . But while I was there I saw a lot of interesting places and we visited a lot of castles __________ (6) . One day, we hired a boat and went out onto a lake which was near the campsite. It rained all day _____________________(7) decided to go for a swim in the lake and that was wonderful.

I am starting my new job tomorrow in the library near my house. __________________(8) and he helped me to find a job for every Saturday morning. I work from nine o'clock in the morning until one o'clock in the afternoon. It is very useful for me __________________ (9) in a library when I finish university. How is your job at the supermarket? Please tell me what you are _____________________(10) .

I am going to do my French homework now!

Au revoir

Kate

The sentences

1. and other historical places
2. we can practice our French together
3. the whole four days
4. doing this month
5. but me and Melissa
6. which I received last Saturday
7. we were so cold
8. My uncle works there
9. the last time you were here
10. because I want to work


Key: 1-6 , 2-2, 3-9, 4-3, 5-7, 6-1, 7-5, 8-8, 9-10, 10-4

Vocabulary collocations

Rewrite the sentences with a similar expression below. Make any necessary changes.


take after • hand in • sign up for • study abroad • look up to • depend on


1. I will always be there to support you.
You ....................................................... .
2. My mother is creative and athletic, but I’m not.
I ................................................................ .
3. I hope I can go to university in another country.
My hope  .................................................
4. My teacher wants the assignment by Monday.
I .............................................. .
5. I have got a lot of admiration for people who volunteer and help others.
I ................................................ .
6. Is your name on the list for the course? 
Did you ............................................ ?

Key

Possible answers

      1.   can depend on me

      2.   don’t take after my mother

      3.   is to study abroad

      4.   must hand in my assignment by Monday

      5.   look up to people who volunteer and help others

      6.   sign up for the course

Science and technology

Fill in the gaps with the appropriate form of the words below

develop      pioneer     study    

discover      invent      design

1. The physicians Marie Curie and her husband Pierre ………………………………………………. radium.
2. After years of ………………………………………………., Freud ………………………………………………. a theory of the mind which has changed for ever the way we view ourselves.
3. Brunel ………………………………………………. the Clifton Bridge.
4. Marco Polo made journeys through Asia and wrote a book describing what he had ……………………………………………….
5. Edward Jenner ………………………………………………. the use of vaccination to prevent disease.
6. I wonder who ………………………………………………. the very first computer.
7. Einstein ………………………………………………. the theory of relativity which replaced Newton’s theories.
8. Florence Nightingale ………………………………………………. effective nursing care and improvements in public health.
9. In 1930 Clyde Tombaugh ………………………………………………. Pluto after many years ………………………………………………. the night sky.

Key

1. Discovered
2. Studying – developed
3. Designed
4. Discovered
5. Pioneered
6. Invented
7. Developed
8. Pioneered
9. Discovered – studying

The Best a Man Can Get

Watch the adverts and complete the sentences.

2019 Ad

The ……… …………… movement against masculinity is…

1. Is this the best a man can ……………….. ?
2. We can’t hide. It’s been going on ……………. too long.
3. We can’t ………………. it …………….
4. Making the same ……………… excuses.
5. Boys …………… …………..boys.
6. But something finally ………………….
7. And there will be ………… ……………… …………….
8. Because we, we ………………. …………. The best in a man.
9. Men need to ………………. other ……………….. accountable.
10. To say the ……………… ………………
11. To act the ……………… ………………
12. Some already are. But some is not ………………………….
13. Because the boys ………………………. today will the ……………….. of tomorrow.
14. It’s only by ……………………………. ourselves to do more that we can get ……………………. to our best.

1989 Ad

1. You’re looking …………………………
2. You’re looking …………………………
3. You’ve come ………….. …………………..
4. And we know how to make ……….. ………………. of who you are.
5. Father to son. It’s ………………… we’ve always ……………………….
6. And so many faces. It’s ………………… to see.
7. We give you all we ………………… …….. give.
8. For all a man ………………….. ……………………..
9. Where the race is from you’re ………… ………………….

KEY

2019

1. Me Too
2. Get
3. Far
4. Laugh off
5. Old
6. Will be
7. Changed
8. No going back
9. Believe in
10. Hold men
11. Right thing
12. Right way
13. Enough
14. Watching men
15. Challenging closer

1989

1. Sharp
2. Good
3. So far
4. The most
5. What done
6. Plain
7. Have to
8. Can be
9. The champion

Cloze test

HOW TELEVISION WAS INVENTED

Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap.

Television owes 1…………………..……… origins to many inventors. But it was the single-minded determination of an amateur inventor, John Logie Baird, that led 2………………..…. the first live television broadcast.

Born in Scotland in 1888 and educated in Glasgow, John Logie Baird earned a living 3………………….……… a razor-blade salesman. In the 1890s Guglielmo Marconi showed that sound could 4…………………….sent by radio waves. Baird became convinced that a similar system could transmit a picture. He spent most of 5……………………..spare time working on his ideas in his tiny workshop without 6………………………………. commercial support. He 7……………………… to use his 8………………….earnings to continue his research.

In 1924, Baird successfully transmitted the general outline of a figure over more 9…………………3 metres. He continued to experiment and 10…………………October 25, 1925, transmitted a recognisable image of a doll. He ran 11………………… to the office on the ground floor and persuaded one of the office boys to come upstairs.  12…………………………..boy became the first living image transmitted by television.

Overnight, Baird became famous and the money 13……………………. he needed to continue his research was at 14………………………….. made available. In 1927 he made a transmission from London to Glasgow and in 1928 he made 15…………………… from London to New York. He continued experimenting the possibility of colour television.

KEY

1. its
2. to
3. as
4. be
5. his
6. any
7. had
8. own
9. than
10. on
11. down
12. the/that
13. that/which
14. last
15. it

China Adopts Chip-Powered ‘Smart’ School Uniforms

Read these two halves of the same text and make the pairs of synonyms. Then you can try the TRUE / FALSE question which you can find with the second text.

     

     Schools in southern China are using chip-powered "smart" school uniforms to track their students in a bid to tackle truancy and boost attendance, according to state media.

     The uniforms use chips to monitor the location of students and can record their exit and entry into school, according to the tech firm behind the tracking devices.

     "When students enter the school, the smart uniforms help take a photo or video of them," explained principal Ran Ruxiang, whose elementary school in Guizhou province started rolling out smart uniforms last November.

     More than half of the school's 1,400 students were wearing the smart uniforms, he told Agence France-Presse.

     At least 10 schools in Guizhou and neighbouring Guangxi have adopted the technology, according to a Thursday report by the Global Times.

adjoining                          deal with

apparatus                         intelligent

boost                                roll out

company                          trace

keep tabs on                    monitor

record                               firm

smart                                neighbouring

start off                             increase

tackle                               device

track                                 log

     If students walk out of the school without permission, an automatic voice alarm will activate, the report said.

     Paired with facial recognition devices installed on school doors, the smart uniforms can also sense if students swap uniforms.

     "We choose not to check the accurate location of students after school, but when the student is missing and skipping classes, the uniforms help locate them," Guizhou province school principal Lin Zongwu told the Global Times.

         But so far, it's not clear how effective smart uniforms are at preventing students from playing hooky.

    The high-tech uniforms have helped increase the attendance rate, "but not much," according to Ran, who added that the school chose the uniforms mainly as a way to send notifications and homework to students through an app connected to the uniform chips. 

                                                                                             The Guardian 21 December 2018

be aware of           prevent

exchange              attendance

go off                     activate

leave                     sense

match                    swap

miss                      hooky

precise                  accurate

presence               skip

stop                       pair

truant                     walk out

KEY

Part 1

adjoining - neighbouring

apparatus - device

boost - increase

company - firm

keep tabs on - monitor

record - log

smart - Intelligent

start off - roll out

tackle - deal with

track - trace

Part 2

be aware of - sense

exchange - swap

go off - activate

leave - walk out

match - pair

miss - skip

precise - accurate

presence - attendance

stop - prevent

truant - hooky

Schools in China introduce ‘smart uniforms’ with GPS chips to track students’ movements and stop napping

     Schools in China have created uniforms with tracking chips to monitor students' whereabouts and stop them playing truant. Skiving off classes triggers an alarm to notify both teachers and parents of the student’s absence and an automatic voice alarm is activated if a student leaves school without permission.

      The so-called “smart uniforms”, which have been criticised on social media, record the time and date a student enters the school and a short video parents can see through a mobile app. Eleven schools in the southwest province of Guizhou have introduced the uniforms, developed by local tech firm Guizhou Guanyu Technology.

     If a student falls asleep in class, alarms will sound, and parents will be able to keep tabs on the purchases their child makes at the school and use a mobile app to set spending limits, according to the firm’s website.

     A GPS system also tracks student movements even once they have left the school premises. But Yuan Bichang, the company’s project manager, said the school would only use the tracking beyond school hours if a pupil were to go missing.

     Mr Bichang told state media Global Times that attendance had gone up since the uniforms had been introduced. He said the two chips, which are installed in each uniform’s shoulders, are able to withstand up to 500 washes and 150º C.

     Facial recognition makes sure each uniform is worn by its correct owner to stop students tricking the system and swapping uniforms.

     The company released a public statement through popular Chinese social media site Weibo saying the uniforms “focus on safety issues”, and provide a “smart management method” that is advantageous to students, parents and teachers.

     The uniforms have been criticised on social media. “If you were a child, would you like to be monitored 24 hours a day?” one Weibo user asked. “Don’t children have human rights and privacy?” added another user.

     Lin Zongwu, principal of Number 11 School of Renhuai in Guizhou, said despite the fact the school was able to track students at all times, they used this technology sparingly.

The Independent Friday 28 December 2018

1. Smart uniforms are widely accepted in China. 
2. Parent can watch when their children access the school. 
3. Students can freely buy as much as they want at school. 
4. Schools are allowed to use the system after school hours. 
5. It is impossible to know if students use the wrong uniform. 
6. The company believes there are no drawbacks to these uniforms.
7. Schools barely use this new technology to track their students. 

FALSE “The so-called “smart uniforms”, which have been criticised on social media,” or “The uniforms have been criticised on social media”

TRUE “and a short video parents can see through a mobile app”

FALSE “and use a mobile app to set spending limits”

TRUE “the school would only use the tracking beyond school hours if a pupil were to go missing”

FALSE “Facial recognition makes sure each uniform is worn by its correct owner”

TRUE “that is advantageous to students, parents and teachers”

TRUE “they [the school] used this technology sparingly”