This was a way to explain how one object might orbit another. He thought that if such a mountain existed, you could put a cannon on top of it to shoot things into space. In thought experiments about it, he described a mountain that would be so tall it poked into space. Isaac Newton liked to play with ideas around the concept of universal gravitation. Without them, modern physics would probably never have existed. Mechanics studies how objects move or do not move when forces act upon them. These laws are the foundation of classical mechanics, one of physics's main branches. The law of action and reaction: Whenever one object exerts a force on another object, the second object exerts an equal and opposite on the first. The law of momentum ( F = ma): An object's acceleration depends on the object's mass and the amount of force applied.ģ. The law of inertia/motion: An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion remains at a constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an unbalanced force.Ģ. In 1687, Isaac Newton developed his three laws of motion after discovering and studying gravity. Newton's laws of motion are probably his greatest gift to us all Let's take a look at some of the most significant ones. The modern world would look very different if Isaac Newton had decided that farming would better use his time and mind. Many of these are foundational to modern science and our understanding of the greater universe around us. Throughout his life, Newton was responsible for several essential ideas and theories. He was knighted in 1705 by Queen Anne, the first scientist to be knighted for his work. In 1703 he was elected president of the Royal Society and was re-elected each year until his death. Although few people could fully grasp the science in the Principia, it was widely acknowledged as a work of genius.įor various reasons, Newton decided to leave Cambridge n 1696 to take up a government position as Warden of the Royal Mint. Newton published his findings in 1687 in Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), commonly known as the Principia. Using this knowledge, he designed a reflecting telescope that used mirrors and glass lenses, allowing it to focus all the colors on a single point-giving a crisper, more accurate image. He served as a mathematics professor and in other capacities until 1699.Īn interest in optics led Newton to correctly propose that white light is actually the combination of light of all the colors of the rainbow. In 1670, he was appointed to the prestigious Lucasian Chair of Mathematics, aged just 27. Newton returned to Cambridge in 1667 and was awarded the distinction of scholar, reserved for the highest-performing students. He described these years as "the prime of my age for invention." He continued his studies on his own, during which time he had his "brainstorm" regarding gravity and developed his three laws of motion. In 1665 Cambridge closed temporarily due to an outbreak of bubonic plague, and Newton returned home to Lincolnshire for two years. Along with German mathematician Gottfried Leibniz, Newton would develop the techniques of differentiation and integration, which remain fundamental to mathematics and science today. The notes show that Newton had already found the main ideas behind calculus, a new way of quantifying and studying the rate of change of a quantity over time. During his time at Cambridge, Newton wrote down his thoughts in a set of notes called "Quaestiones Quaedam Philosophicae." He studied law at Trinity College, Cambridge, taking care of wealthier students' rooms to pay his bills. Newton found farming monotonous, and he was soon sent back to school. Isaac Newton led a very fruitful lifeīorn in 1642, Sir Isaac Newton was raised by his grandmother until age 12. His mother pulled him out of school at age 12 to have him manage the family estates. You might also think that he is one of the most influential physicists and scientists of all time.īut before we get into that, let's take a quick look at this great man's life. When you think about Isaac Newton, you probably think of the apocryphal story about an apple falling on his head, giving him the idea for the theory of gravity.
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