What did Einstein and Hawking each contribute to physics?

Einstein gave us the special and general theories of relativity, revolutionizing how we understand space, time, gravity, and energy. His equations predicted black holes, gravitational waves, and the expanding universe — though he resisted some of these implications. He also contributed foundationally to quantum mechanics while later rejecting its probabilistic nature.

Hawking built directly on Einstein's general relativity, applying it to the most extreme conditions: singularities, the origin of the universe, and black holes. His greatest contribution — Hawking radiation — showed that quantum mechanics changes the behavior of black holes, beginning the work of unifying the two great theories of 20th-century physics.

How were their working styles different?

Einstein worked alone, often for years, producing breakthroughs through thought experiments and mathematical intuition. He was famously solitary and didn't rely heavily on collaboration.

Hawking, physically unable to write or compute independently, necessarily worked collaboratively. He described ideas to colleagues who translated them into equations. He also supervised numerous graduate students. His physics was a team sport shaped by necessity.

What did they agree on?

Both believed the universe operates according to precise mathematical laws that human minds can access. Both were deeply skeptical of the randomness at the heart of quantum mechanics — Einstein's "God does not play dice" found an echo in Hawking's search for deterministic frameworks.

Where did they disagree?

Hawking accepted the implications of quantum mechanics for black holes that Einstein never lived to confront. He also moved comfortably into probabilistic reasoning that Einstein resisted throughout his life.

Whose contribution was greater?

This is unanswerable and the wrong question. Einstein remade the conceptual foundations of physics. Hawking showed the boundary where those foundations needed extending. Both are essential.