Ste Hawking 50p

[GrahamDiamond]

 

[kimchi]

Is that it?

[GrahamDiamond]

Thats it Coinsters,  What do you think ??? Dissapointed ??? Do you Love It ???

[Scuzzle]

I don't think the subject matter gave them much hope of making a decent design, it's not as if Hawking in his wheelchair was going to tranlate well to a coin so they were always going to go with some kind of science based theme, that design just looks like some dishwater swirling down the plug hole though.

[Shinus73]

3 minutes ago, Scuzzle said:

I don't think the subject matter gave them much hope of making a decent design, it's not as if Hawking in his wheelchair was going to tranlate well to a coin so they were always going to go with some kind of science based theme, that design just looks like some dishwater swirling down the plug hole though.

Those were my thoughts too, it looks like a plug hole, not a black hole.

[KDave]

Not for me this one I'll stick to his books. 

[PansPurse]

On the plus side it's good to see them focusing it on his science rather than that he happened to be a wheelchair user.

[terakris]

I think they could have done a better job. I'll get one, if i dont like it ill send it back.

[terakris]

I actually think that horrible mockup that floated around was better!

[blackadder]

That's terrible looks lazy as **** too

[daz]

Not being a nerd , can anyone tell me what the equation is ?

[PansPurse]

8 minutes ago, daz said:

Not being a nerd , can anyone tell me what the equation is ?

It's the Bekenstein-Hawking formula. Basically it reconciles the existence of black holes with the second law of thermodynamics

[Martlet]

I like it. 

[Thesilverguy]

I love it!!!

[MickD]

27 minutes ago, PansPurse said:

It's the Bekenstein-Hawking formula. Basically it reconciles the existence of black holes with the second law of thermodynamics

I knew I'd seen it somewhere.

 

😊

[kimchi]

'STEPHEN HAWKING' with stylised font as per the Star Wars opening crawls and with a design like a toilet bowl, what's not to love?

[daz]

1 hour ago, PansPurse said:

It's the Bekenstein-Hawking formula. Basically it reconciles the existence of black holes with the second law of thermodynamics

What does that mean ? 

[danmc82]

34 minutes ago, daz said:

What does that mean ? 

It means making a salad sandwich in zero gravity is a bad idea...

 

[PansPurse]

42 minutes ago, daz said:

What does that mean ? 

OK, so, this is going to be a simplified version (theoretical physics was never my specialism, I was more an astrophysics kinda gal.

Basically black holes tend to screw with the normal laws of physics. In particular the second law of thermodynamics.

Most of us learned in school that energy can't really be created or destroyed, only transferred. That's the essence of thermodynamics. But it can also be expressed in terms of entropy (entropy is kinda screwy but basically can be thought of as the amount of disorder in the universe) so you can't really create or destroy entropy, only transfer it (crude example, I can neatly line up some rocks, but it takes energy to do that, so the universe hasn't become overall more or less ordered).

Anyway, black holes really screw with this because it's basically a hole. Whatever falls into it is basically "lost" which is bad because it messes with the thermodynamic laws that say that the amount of order in a closed system is constant.

Bekenstein theorised that the only way to explain this contradiction would be if the back holes themselves had some entropy (ie they're not just holes but have some level of order/disorder to them). Hawking's contribution to this was to theorise that black holes actually spit out radiation (Hawking radiation). The formula expresses these quantities mathematically (i.e. the entropy of the black hole is balanced by the radiation it emits).

It's a bit abstract but it's important because it means that black holes aren't actually breaking the laws of thermodynamics. Which is good because frankly physicists have enough other things to clarify around the fringes of the current standard models, so having this bit make sense is really helpful.

[Zhorro]

29 minutes ago, danmc82 said:

It means making a salad sandwich in zero gravity is a bad idea...

 

I’m not sure I am convinced by the Bekenstein-Hawking formula.

If we stick to the perceptively interesting illustration of the sandwich, when I eat one, it goes down the black hole of my throat, and it has got to come out somewhere.

Sometimes scientists seem to over-think things.

[mr1030]

I think it's great that they are memorializing him with a coin.  But that is a very sterile depiction of a black hole.  More artistry could have been used.

[danmc82]

4 hours ago, GrahamDiamond said:

Thats it Coinsters,  What do you think ??? Dissapointed ??? Do you Love It ???

What do you think? I'm ok with it. TBH I'll probably just buy one just to have it, not for the design.

[daz]

1 hour ago, danmc82 said:

It means making a salad sandwich in zero gravity is a bad idea...

 

Making a salad sandwich with no cheese or meat is always a bad idea , gravity or not

[Oldun]

I think this will look great in the hand. Liking it more each time I look at it. Formula, name large, black hole. Does what it says on the tin and done with the approval of the Hawking Family Trust.

[AlphaBeast]

It's fair to say the design is 'lost in translation'...