Who Said It: Sheldon Cooper or Stephen Hawking?
1 of 12
"Your thesis that the Higgs boson is a black hole accelerating backwards through time is fascinating. ...Too bad it's wrong."
ANSWER: To be fair, this was said on The Big Bang Theory, but it was said by Hawking to Cooper in "The Hawking Excitation" [S5 E21]. He then points out that Cooper made an arithmetic mistake on page 2 of his paper, which is why his conclusions were incorrect. To be fair, this was said on The Big Bang Theory, but it was said by Hawking to Cooper in "The Hawking Excitation" [S5 E21]. He then points out that Cooper made an arithmetic mistake on page 2 of his paper, which is why his conclusions were incorrect.
2 of 12
"I see no large upcoming expenditures, unless they develop an affordable technology to fuse my skeleton with Adamantium like Wolverine."
ANSWER: When Penny replies to this statement in "The Financial Permeability" [S2 E14] by asking if they're working on that, Cooper answers in all seriousness, "I sincerely hope so." When Penny replies to this statement in "The Financial Permeability" [S2 E14] by asking if they're working on that, Cooper answers in all seriousness, "I sincerely hope so."
3 of 12
"My attitude -- I would paraphrase Gœring -- is that when I hear of Schrödinger's cat, I reach for my gun."
ANSWER: Cooper may have grown up in Texas -- and even knows how to use a gun -- but it was Hawking who uttered this doozy in a 1983 conversation with Timothy Ferris, which was quoted in Ferris's 1998 book, The Whole Shebang. Cooper may have grown up in Texas -- and even knows how to use a gun -- but it was Hawking who uttered this doozy in a 1983 conversation with Timothy Ferris, which was quoted in Ferris's 1998 book, The Whole Shebang.
4 of 12
"...anyone who told you that you would someday be able to make some significant contribution to physics played a cruel trick on you..."
ANSWER: A classroom of graduate students was greeted with this discouraging statement from Cooper in "The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem" [S2 E6]. As far as we know, Hawking is much more encouraging of other people's careers in physics. A classroom of graduate students was greeted with this discouraging statement from Cooper in "The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem" [S2 E6]. As far as we know, Hawking is much more encouraging of other people's careers in physics.
5 of 12
"People won't have time for you if you are always angry or complaining."
ANSWER: While this sounds like something Cooper would tell Leonard or Penny, it was actually said by Hawking in reference to his disability. The quotation in his September 27, 2005, interview with The Guardian began: "It is a waste of time to be angry about my disability. One has to get on with life and I haven't done badly..." While this sounds like something Cooper would tell Leonard or Penny, it was actually said by Hawking in reference to his disability. The quotation in his September 27, 2005, interview with The Guardian began: "It is a waste of time to be angry about my disability. One has to get on with life and I haven't done badly..."
6 of 12
"To show this diagram properly, I would really need a four dimensional screen. However, because of government cuts, we could manage to provide only a two dimensional screen."
ANSWER: In Hawking's 1996 lecture "The Beginning of Time," he explained that, to discuss observations in cosmology, it's helpful to draw a diagram of events in space and time, which could only be properly shown on a four dimensional screen. In Hawking's 1996 lecture "The Beginning of Time," he explained that, to discuss observations in cosmology, it's helpful to draw a diagram of events in space and time, which could only be properly shown on a four dimensional screen.
7 of 12
"...while I subscribe to the 'Many Worlds' theory which posits the existence of an infinite number of [me] in an infinite number of universes, I assure you that in none of them am I dancing."
ANSWER: When Cooper explains to Penny in "The Gothowitz Deviation" [S3 E3] that he does not dance, he really emphasizes his point. When Cooper explains to Penny in "The Gothowitz Deviation" [S3 E3] that he does not dance, he really emphasizes his point.
8 of 12
"Do you know how I solved the balanced center combat-area problem? Five words: transitional quadrilateral to triangular tesselation."
ANSWER: In "The Wildebeest Implementation" [S4 E22], Cooper informs Leonard of his progress developing three-person chess. In "The Wildebeest Implementation" [S4 E22], Cooper informs Leonard of his progress developing three-person chess.
9 of 12
"Equations are just the boring part of mathematics. I attempt to see things in terms of geometry."
ANSWER: This quotation was included in Kristine Larsen's 2005 biography of Hawking, entitled Stephen Hawking: A Biography. This quotation was included in Kristine Larsen's 2005 biography of Hawking, entitled Stephen Hawking: A Biography.
10 of 12
"I'm a physicist. I have a working knowledge of the entire universe and everything it contains."
ANSWER: When Cooper made this statement to Penny in "The Work Song Nanocluster" [S2 E18], she replied, "Who's Radiohead?" After twitching for a moment, he responds, "I have a working knowledge of the important things." When Cooper made this statement to Penny in "The Work Song Nanocluster" [S2 E18], she replied, "Who's Radiohead?" After twitching for a moment, he responds, "I have a working knowledge of the important things."
11 of 12
"Women. They are a complete mystery."
ANSWER: In an interview with New Scientist on January 4, 2012, Hawking was asked what he thinks about most during the day. This was his answer. In an interview with New Scientist on January 4, 2012, Hawking was asked what he thinks about most during the day. This was his answer.
12 of 12
In regards to the Enterprise's warp engine in Star Trek: The Next Generation: "I'm working on that."
ANSWER: When Hawking spotted the Enterprise's warp engine while visiting the set of Star Trek: The Next Generation, he smiled and uttered the statement above, which was quoted in The Star Trek Encyclopedia, 1999, by Michael and Denise Okuda.
When Hawking spotted the Enterprise's warp engine while visiting the set of Star Trek: The Next Generation, he smiled and uttered the statement above, which was quoted in The Star Trek Encyclopedia, 1999, by Michael and Denise Okuda.
Still in a quiz-taking mood?
When Hawking spotted the Enterprise's warp engine while visiting the set of Star Trek: The Next Generation, he smiled and uttered the statement above, which was quoted in The Star Trek Encyclopedia, 1999, by Michael and Denise Okuda.Still in a quiz-taking mood?
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