In Principia, Newton formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation that formed the dominant scientific viewpoint until it was superseded by the theory of relativity. Newton also made seminal contributions to optics, and shares credit with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz for developing the infinitesimal calculus.His book Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), first published in 1687, laid the foundations of classical mechanics.Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, theologian, and author (described in his own day as a "natural philosopher") who is widely recognised as one of the most influential scientists of all time and as a key figure in the scientific revolution. In 1665 Newton's education was interrupted. The dispute with Leibniz dominated the last years of his life. Though Newton had been the first to derive calculus as a mathematical approach, Gottfried Leibniz was the first one to widely disseminate the concept throughout Europe. As a consequence Newton often felt compelled to defend his work against plagiarism. His overwhelming fear of criticism caused him to resist immediate publication of his work. Throughout Newton's career he was torn between his desire for fame and his fear of criticism. Newton was very instrumental in developing techniques to prevent counterfeiting of the English money. He became Master of the Royal Mint in 1699. He became Warden of the Royal Mint in 1696. After suffering a second breakdown in 1693 Newton retired from research. While in London he became more enchanted with the life of politics than the life of research. When William of Orange drove James out of England, Newton was elected to Parliament. The king wanted only Roman Catholics to be in positions of power in government and academia. He became a leader against what he saw as an attack on the university by King James II. Upon regaining his health Newton returned to the university. However, in 1679 his work came to standstill after he suffered a nervous breakdown. His impressive body of work made him a leader in scientific research. The university reopened and Newton took a fellowship in order to obtain his masters degree.Īs the years progressed, Newton completed his work on universal gravitation, diffraction of light, centrifugal force, centripetal force, inverse-square law, bodies in motion and the variations in tides due to gravity. By 1666 he had completed his early work on his three laws of motion. It was during this time that Newton started to pursue his own ideas on math, physics, optics and astronomy. Trinity College was closed due to the highly contagious, deadly disease. The further pursuit of an education was interrupted by the plague. Newton graduated with a bachelors degree in 1665. He became interested in mathematics after buying a book at a fair and not understanding the math concepts it contained. Newton also kept a journal where he was able to express his ideas on various topics. His mother refused to pay for his education so while at college he worked as a servant to pay his way. Though Newton did not excel in school, he did earn the opportunity to attend Trinity College Cambridge where he wanted to study law. Newton's mother remarried and he was left in the care of his grandmother. Wealthy, uneducated farmer who died three months before Newton was born. Isaac Newton was born in 1643 in Woolsthorpe, England. In addition to mathematics, physics and astronomy, Newton also had an interest in alchemy, mysticism and theology.
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