
Issac Newton is possibly the most influential scientist of all time. In the second half of the 17th century, he produced a breathtaking number of physics and mathematical laws and methods, explaining forces and physical phenomena, and deriving mathematical explanations still in use today.
English
Physics, Mathematics
Mechanics, Optics, Calculus, Philosophy
Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, 1669
President of the Royal Society
Warden of the Royal Mint
Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), 1687, probably the most influential scientific book ever published, and laid the foundations of classical mechanics, calculus, and optics.
Hypothesis of Light, 1675, in which the ether is evoked as the medium through which light may propagate.
3 Laws of Motion: these laws are still used, and were the only interpretation of the relationships of matter, time and space, until Einstein's Relativity.
Law of Universal Gravity: which established that gravity was the same for all matter, was a force which acted at a distance, and reduced by the square of the distance separating two masses.
Law of Optics
Newton's mathematical descriptions of the physical universe were applied to orbits and motions of all planets, comets and moons, and thereby proved beyond doubt the Copernican/Keplerian/Galilean model of the heoliocentric system (Sun at centre of solar system instead of the Earth).
Optics: light spectra and theory of colour. White light divides into the rainbow of colours through a prism. Newton proposed that light is composed of particles.
Differential calculus: long-running dispute with supporters of Gottfried Leibniz about who invented calculus. Today, it is considered the invention was independent, with Newton probably having precedence, but did not publish until after Leibniz had revealed his differential calculus method, using a different technique and different notation.
Newton also made significant contributions to other mathematical fields, including power series, binomial theorem, roots of a function and cubic plane curves.
Second Law of Motion: $F = ma$
Universal Gravity: The force of attraction between two masses is proportion to the inverse square of their separating distance, r: $F_g = G⋅{M⋅m}/{r^2}$, where $G$ is the universal gravitational constant.
Thought experiments, including Newton's Cannon
Division of light to composite colours (using prisms)
First practical refracting telescope, which improved astronomical observation potential
Determination of the speed of sound.
Newtonian fluids.
Newton published his Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), in 1687. This single book is probably the most influential scientific book ever published, and laid the foundations of classical mechanics, calculus, and optics.
The argument over who had precedence in the invention of calculus, between Newton and Gottfried Leibniz, raged for centuries. However, Newton's applications of techniques to optics, mechanics and astronomical phenomena were unequalled by any scientist in history. It was not until Einstein that a more complete explanation of physical phenomena was on offer, but Newton's laws and mathematics are still used by engineers and scientists today.
Sir Isaac Newton was a professor of physics and mathematics at Cambridge University, and is generally considered the most influential scientist who has ever lived. He wrote an important book, Principia Mathematica, in 1687. In this book he describes his laws of motion, gravity, calculus, and optics. Newton's laws of mechanics and optics, as well as his invention of calculus, and many other revolutionary ideas, are still used today in all physics and engineering.
Isaac Newton’s contributions to physics and mathematics literally changed the world, and made the Industrial Revolution possible. Amongst the things he discovered and invented were: gravitational force, the three laws of motion, calculus, optics and a new type of telescope. Despite all these amazing discoveries, his personal passion was for other things, primarily alchemy. He was a professor at Cambridge University for many years before publishing his groundbreaking book ‘Principia Mathematica’, which set out the laws which were not challenged till Albert Einstein’s Relativity theory in 1905.
Newton did not ‘invent’ gravity. Instead, he posed the question: why does an apple fall to the ground, and yet the Moon does not?
His answer was in the form of a thought experiment, one of the tools of empirical science, in which he asked what would happen to the trajectory of a cannonball fired horizontally from cannons of ever increasing strength. The realisation that there would be a velocity at which, in the absence of air resistance, the ball would fly around the Earth forever, led to his explanation of orbits. Through this Newton realised that the Moon was subject to the same gravity as objects near the Earth. The conclusion was that gravity was a universal force, acting at a distance, which diminishes with the inverse square of the distance.
A brilliant man, his ideas went unchallenged, though not without controversy, till Albert Einstein proposed a more complete explanation of space, energy, matter and time.
(Biographies of famous scientists no. 2)
Read Biographies from:
The most recent article is:
Air Resistance and Terminal Velocity
View this item in the topic:
and many more articles in the subject:
Environmental Science is the most important of all sciences. As the world enters a phase of climate change, unprecedented biodiversity loss, pollution and human population growth, the management of our environment is vital for our futures. Learn about Environmental Science on ScienceLibrary.info.
Go to the article about: Applied Force
Website © contentwizard.ch | Designed by Andrew Bone