Stephen Hawking was a distinguished physicist, author, and cosmologist. He was considered to be one of the most brilliant physicists ever. He was instrumental in studies regarding black holes and hypothesized that the black holes emit radiation, that is, they release sub-atomic particles until they completely collapse. The radiation has also been dubbed Hawking’s radiation. He was also the author of best-selling books like ‘The Theory of Everything’ and ‘A Brief History of Time: From Big Bang to Black Holes’.
Hawking was also famous for having Lou Gehrig’s disease or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) which is a disease that impairs muscle function. Any person suffering from ALS loses physical movement gradually until the state of paralysis. Hawking battled through his paralysis and carried out studies and even wrote books that contributed to physics and cosmology. He lived with the disease for 55 years which is unheard of in ALS patients. Let’s find out if his intelligence fetched him a Nobel prize.
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Did Stephen Hawking Win A Nobel Prize?
Nobel Prize is an award given to people who have given humankind a benefit through their discoveries in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Economics, and Peace. It is an award that can only be granted to people whose discoveries are proven to be correct. Any studies that predict or hypothesize a phenomenon cannot be granted a Nobel Prize until they are proven to be correct.
Therefore, Hawking never won a Nobel Prize in his lifetime. His studies on Hawking radiation haven’t been proven yet. Hence, he couldn’t be granted a Nobel Prize. Nobel Foundation also doesn’t allow for Nobel Prizes to be conferred posthumously. Hence, Stephen Hawking never won a Nobel and will never be able to win a Nobel Prize. But regardless of that, Hawking’s other accomplishments have ensured that he will never be forgotten.
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What Was Stephen Hawking’s IQ?
A person’s IQ or Intelligence Quotient is measured by a test called Mensa Test. It is not easy to measure someone’s intelligence but the test gives a rough idea and helps compare intelligence among individuals. Even Albert Einstein doesn’t rank high enough on the IQ test but he was brilliant nonetheless. William James Sidis’ IQ is considered to be one of the highest and estimated to be anywhere from 200 to 300.
Like Einstein, Hawking also never took the Mensa test. His IQ is estimated to be 162. Hawking also doesn’t rank in the highest IQs measured but he was a genius anyways. Hawking also expressed that “people who boast about their IQs are losers”. So it is safe to say that he didn’t believe that someone’s intelligence and acumen can be quantified by an IQ test. He was a practical yet sarcastic and funny person.
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