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Fred Hoyle Facts & Worksheets

Fred Hoyle was a British Mathematician and Astronomer. He discovered the Nucleosynthesis and fought for his Steady State Theory, which was the biggest opponent of The Big Bang Theory during his time.

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Fred Hoyle was a British Mathematician and Astronomer. He discovered the Nucleosynthesis and fought for his Steady State Theory, which was the biggest opponent of The Big Bang Theory during his time. While criticizing the latter, he managed to coin its name in an interview on the radio. Fred Hoyle might be one of the most controversial scientists because of his unorthodox opinions and theories, but his contribution to science was so exceptional that he deserved a Nobel Prize.

See the fact file below for more information on the Fred Hoyle or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Fred Hoyle worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

HOYLE’S EARLY LIFE

  • Fred Hoyle was born during World War I on June 24, 1915, in Gilstead, England.
  • His father, Ben Hoyle, was a cloth tradesman while his mother, Mabel Pickard, was a school teacher and a musician.
  • During World War I, his father enlisted in the British Army, leaving Fred and her mother to tend for themselves and in constant fear about Ben’s life.
  • Mabel raised Fred by playing piano in silent films. She also took care of Fred’s early education, mainly teaching him mathematics.
  • He was fascinated with chemistry and was often experimenting with chemicals, which he bought from the pharmacy.

HOYLE’S EDUCATION

  • Hoyle tried to avoid school as much as possible when he was a kid. He only started school when he was six instead of five and skipped it the next year.
  • He was on and off school until he was eight, which prompted the education officials to let his mother homeschool him.
  • However, when his parents were scouting for a scholarship, it was clear that he needed to finish primary school with high marks. His father enrolled him in a village school when he was nine.
  • At age 11, he sat down and took the scholarship exam, which did not go well. However, he produced outstanding results in mathematics.
  • The headmaster of the Bingley Grammar school took an interest, and after consultation and an interview with a chemistry teacher, Hoyle was accepted.
  • Due to the Hoyle family’s economic status, he depended on scholarships to finish school. He studied well and was luckily supported by the Grammar School in his academic endeavor.
  • Hoyle’s scholarship application was rejected by some universities.
  • Losing hope, he attempted to win a scholarship to the University of Cambridge, aware of its difficulty. Within a year, he met the required standard in Cambridge and began his journey as a Cambridge scholar at the age of eighteen. Hoyle entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge.
  • At Cambridge, he was taught by some outstanding people like Max Born, Arthur Eddington, and Paul Dirac.
  • He intended to pursue a degree in science. However, his tutor told him that his math was not good enough for the degree and suggested he take Part I of the Mathematical Tripos first.
  • Inspired by Cambridge scientists who were all mathematicians, he continued studying mathematics, graduated in 1936, and won the Applied Mathematics prize. He was qualified to be a theoretical physicist.
  • Hoyle finished the requirements for his doctorate in Cambridge but refused to graduate due to tax reasons.

STEADY STATE THEORY AND BIG BANG THEORY

  • During World War II, Hoyle headed a section that developed improved radar systems. At night, they got to work on some research, including the origin of the universe.
  • They published a paper claiming that the universe had existed forever in 1948. This theory states that the universe is always expanding but maintaining a constant average density. The matter is continuously created to form new stars and galaxies at the same rate that old ones become unobservable due to their increasing distance and velocity of recession.
  • This contrasts with the Big Bang Theory, which Hoyle coined as a form of insult, that says the universe was created out of nothing.
  • The Big Bang theory was favored by most scientists after the discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation. Hoyle’s continuous criticism pushed its supporters to improve their theoretical understanding of Big Bang physics.

OTHER THEORIES AND NOTABLE WORKS

  • Hoyle, together with his co-workers – Burbidge, Burbidge, Fowler and Hoyle, published the most famous history of astrophysics – Synthesis of the Elements in Stars. It was also informally titled as B2FH after the authors’ surnames.
  • In it, the authors explained how the chemical elements that made up everything were formed from nuclear reactions inside distant stars.
  • They discovered that everything on Earth, which is made of atoms, was formed from exploding stars. It is popularly called Stellar Nucleosynthesis.
  • Hoyle also has an unorthodox theory about how the evolution of Earth was caused by viruses from space arriving through the comets. This is called Panspermia.
  • The theory Panspermia claimed that Earth and similar planets act as assembly stations where single-celled organisms from space get the opportunity to produce more advanced forms of life.
  • Despite the unconventionality of the theory, scientists today are investigating the role of comets in biochemistry.

NOBEL PRIZE AND OTHER CONTROVERSIES

  • In 1983, the Nobel Committee awarded William Alfred Fowler for his theoretical and experimental studies of the nuclear reactions of importance in the formation of the chemical elements in the universe.
  • They ignored Fred Hoyle who originally had the insights of the theory with two research papers published.
  • Harry Kroto said that the Nobel Prize not only gave recognition to work done by a scientist but also their overall reputation.
  • Hoyle had a reputation of being a maverick of the scientific community. He took pride in his unorthodox and unpopular views. He once was quoted as saying that “It is better to be interesting and wrong than be boring and right.”
  • He publicly criticizes the Nobel committee for awarding Anthony Hewish partly for the discovery of pulsars a 1974 Nobel Prize in Physics without recognizing his research student Jocelyn Bell Burnell, who made the discovery.

ACCOLADES AND MORE ACHIEVEMENTS

  • A Fred Hoyle Medal and Prize was established by the Institute of Physics in 2008 for distinguished contributions to astrophysics, gravitational physics, or cosmology.
  • Hoyle was given the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1968 and was knighted 1972.
  • Hoyle established the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy at Cambridge and became its director in 1966. He resigned in 1972 because he did not like it there and couldn’t stand the bureaucracy. He also claimed to have a constant argument with his colleagues there.
  • He continued publishing interesting theories like disproving Darwinism, arguing that Stonehenge was built to track the orbits of the Sun and Moon to facilitate the prediction of solar and lunar eclipses and questioned the authenticity of the fossil Archaeopteryx.
  • He also wrote science children’s books co-authoring with his son, George Hoyle.
  • He died in Bournemouth on 21 August 2001 due to stroke.

Fred Hoyle Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Fred Hoyle across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Fred Hoyle worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Fred Hoyle who was a British Mathematician and Astronomer. He discovered the Nucleosynthesis and fought for his Steady State Theory, which was the biggest opponent of The Big Bang Theory during his time. While criticizing the latter, he managed to coin its name in an interview on the radio. Fred Hoyle might be one of the most controversial scientists because of his unorthodox opinions and theories, but his contribution to science was so exceptional that he deserved a Nobel Prize.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Fred Hoyle Facts
  • Hoyle’s Bio
  • Honoring Hoyle
  • In the Beginning
  • Unpopular Opinions
  • Hoyle’s Education
  • The Maverick
  • Friends or Enemies
  • His Other Theories
  • Principles of Hoyle
  • Explosion or Expansion

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Use With Any Curriculum

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