He became President of the Royal Society in 1703, just before he published his seminal book, Opticks, on the theory of light and colour. Newton moved to London in 1696, where he took up the position of Warden and then Master of the Royal Mint, responsible for England’s coinage. Most famously, the work outlined Newton’s three laws of motion. Published in 1687 and funded by Halley, Principia formed the basis of classical mechanics, the theory of how large bodies move under gravity. UK astronaut Tim Peake takes time out for some background reading, tackling Isaac Newton's Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, after which Peake's Principia mission was named.Credits: ESA/NASA This resulted in his master work: Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, after which UK astronaut Tim Peake's Principia mission onboard the International Space Station was named. Through correspondence with Halley, Newton began to compile his research into a logical form. His insights attracted the attention of Edmond Halley, after whom Halley's Comet is now named. This changed in 1681, when he began making observations of the movements of a new comet that had appeared in the sky. Newton returned to Cambridge, where he was made Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in 1669.Īfter this, Newton was made Fellow of the Royal Society, but his secretive and difficult temperament led to his isolation from the academic community. Credit Apic/Getty Images Newton and the laws of motion Isaac Newton dispersing light with a glass prism. His device, just 16cm in length, was equal in magnifying power to the best European telescopes of the day. He discovered that white light was composed of a rainbow, dispelling the longstanding misconception that white was a single colour.Īrmed with this knowledge, he built a new ‘reflection’ telescope, using mirrors to focus light instead of lenses. Newton soon understood that the problem was not the lenses, but instead the nature of white light. He began to make his own lenses in a makeshift laboratory outside his dormitory. He carried out experiments that showed that different colours of light were bent at different angles by a prism, and invented a way of using prisms to change the size of a beam of light, a technique now adopted in many lasers.īy now, he had realised that most standard telescopes based on spherical lenses produced blurred images, and believed that he could do better. Newton’s thirst for knowledge was unquenchable, and his next target was optics. Newton and optics A replica of the first reflecting telescope made by Isaac Newton and shown to the Royal Society in 1668. It is clear from his notes, however, that it was during this time that Newton became aware of the pull of gravitational attraction. Newton never referenced this tale, though he reportedly said watching one fall was a source of inspiration. Newton returned to Woolsthorpe in 1664, when the plague closed Cambridge.ĭuring this period of isolation, he developed a new form of mathematics that underpins almost all of mathematics and physics today: calculus.įellow mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz also developed the technique independently, leading to a lifelong feud over the method’s true inventor.Īt Woolsthorpe, an enduring myth also formed: that Newton, sitting in the garden, was struck on the head by an apple causing him to ‘discover’ the universal force of gravity. Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images Title page of Isaac Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, London 1687. What's the difference between Newton and Einstein gravity?.A fervent mathematician and philosopher, he began to research infinity, God and geometry and it was in these early writings the word ‘ gravity’ first appeared. In 1661 he entered Trinity College, Cambridge. His wide-ranging contributions touched almost every aspect of modern science.īorn on 4 January 1643 near Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire, Isaac Newton was a lonely but determined child.Įven as a boy, he was aware of the motion of celestial bodies, constructing sundials on the walls of his family home that visitors would use to tell the time. Sir Isaac Newton is one of the most celebrated figures in scientific history. Isaac Newton: life and discoveries of the great British scientist
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