K-SEC Meeting Summary
April 9,2018
Here is a summary of the materials we read at the K-SEC meeting on Aril 2nd, 2018.
- Attendees (in ABC order):
Kanzawa, Kotake, Nishimura, Nishiwaki, Sadayasu,Sekiguchi, Shirashoji,
Tomozawa, Tsurumoto, Umemura(Total of10)
B. Summary of the reading material
1. Stephen Hawking, best-known physicist of his time, has died:
by Robert Barr, ASSOCIATED PRESS - Kotake
World famous scientist Dr. Stephen Hawking has passed away at the age of 76 on March 8 2018. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years, The news of his sudden death was taken as the greatest loss to the world physics and celebrities from various fields in the world expressed deep condolences to bereaved family. His funeral service was carried out at the church of Cambridge University, and his ash will be buried next to the grave of Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin at Westminster Abbey.
We looked back on his life and achievements at K-sec meeting through this reading material. Ecce homo, Dr. Hawking was born Jan. 8, 1942, in Oxford, and grew up in London and St. Albans, northwest of the capital. In 1959, he entered Oxford University and then went on to graduate work at Cambridge. Signs of fatal disease ALS appeared in his first year of graduate school. He has achieved various scientific discoveries in spite of unfortunate absurdity. He was the best-known theoretical physicist of his time. He wrote so lucidly of the mysteries of space, time and black holes that his book. "A Brief History of Time," became an international best-seller, making him one of science's biggest celebrities since Albert Einstein.
He was involved in the search for the great goal of physics -a "unified theory". Such a theory would resolve the contradictions between Einstein's theory of relativity, which describes the laws of gravity that govern the motion of large objects like planets, and the quantum mechanics theory, which deals with the world of subatomic particles. For Hawking, the search was almost a religious quest,-he said finding a "theory of everything" would allow mankind to "know the mind of God." "A complete, consistent unified theory is only the first step: our goal is a complete understanding of the events around us, and of our own existence," he wrote in "A Brief History of Time." In later years, though, he suggested a unified theory might not exist. He followed up "A Brief History of Time" in 2001 with the more accessible sequel "The Universe in a Nutshell," updating readers on concepts like super gravity, naked singularities and the possibility of an 11-dimensional universe.
Dr. Hawking first earned prominence for his theoretical work on black holes. Disproving the belief that black holes are so dense that nothing could escape their gravitational pull, he showed that black holes leak a tiny bit of light and other types of radiation, now known as "Hawking radiation."
Dr. Hawking's other major scientific contribution was to cosmology, the study of the universe's origin and evolution. Hawking proposed in 1983 that space and time might have no beginning and no end. "Asking what happens before the Big Bang is like asking for a point one mile north of the North Pole," he said. In 2004, he announced that he had revised his previous view that objects sucked into black holes simply disappeared, perhaps to enter an alternate universe. Instead, he said he believed objects could be spit out of black holes in a mangled form.
His life reminds us of the life of great Classical music composer, Beethoven, whose many great works were made after suffering fatal hearing loss leading to the deaf. He felt hopeless about his future, writing his will letter, “Heiligenstädter Testament“ (ハイリゲンシュタットの遺書). But he conquered his adversity and expressed his strong belief that “Durch Leiden Freude“, (苦しみを貫いて歓喜に至れ) as a revelation to life, leaving many great beautiful musics to future generaation..
Stephen Hawking has also managed to conquer his incurable fatal disease, ALS, achieving many epochmaking discoveries. His moving life style as shown in this reading material inspires us to live our life seriously with his valuable lessons.
2.・Before any talks, confirm Kim’s intent to denuclearize- Nishimura
The reading article is the translation of an editorial of The Yomiuri Shinbun, March 10, 2018. The main points of it are as follows: North Korean leader Kim sent a message to U.S. president Trump that North Korea moves toward denuclearization as well as a freeze on nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches. Trump has expressed his intention to hold talks with Kim by May.
It is vital to carefully assess North Korea's real intent, thoroughly prepare a strategy and make other arrangements to force the country to abandon its nuclear and missile programs. It is natural that the United States needs to maintain maximum pressure. While maintaining close cooperation with the United States, Japanese government should seek a comprehensive solution to the issues of North Korea's nuclear and missile development and the abductions.
After the reading, I made a short presentation, which included 1) future developments of the issue and 2) view points for discussion. Members expressed their ideas concerning the characters of two leaders, Japanese abductees, possible federation of South and North Korea, Kim’s recent visit to China and so on.
C. Role assignment for April16th, 2018
Nishiwaki, Sekiguchi
1