Bondi, Sir Hermann (1919-2005), was an Austrian-born British mathematician, astronomer, and physicist. He is best known for his contributions to cosmology, the study of the universe and its origin. He worked with the British cosmologist Fred Hoyle and others during the late 1940’s to formulate the steady state theory. According to that theory, the universe has always existed in its present state. As the galaxies move apart, new matter appears between them and forms new galaxies. But Bondi later abandoned this hypothesis in favor of the big bang theory, according to which the universe began with an explosion.
Bondi was born in Vienna, Austria, on Nov. 1, 1919. He was educated in Vienna and at Cambridge University in England. He became professor of mathematics at King’s College of the University of London in 1954. Bondi also held scientific posts at the British Admiralty, Ministry of Defence, and Department of Energy. He was knighted in 1973. Bondi was master of Churchill College, Cambridge, from 1983 to 1991. He died on Sept. 10, 2005.
See also Cosmology ; Hoyle, Fred ; Universe .
