Isaac Newton

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{{Infobox_Scientist|name = Sir Isaac Newton|image = GodfreyKneller-IsaacNewton-1689.jpg|image_width = 250px|caption = Isaac Newton at 46 in
Godfrey Kneller's 1689 portrait: 25 December [During Newton's lifetime, two calendars were in use in Europe: the [Julian Calendar or 'Old Style' in Britain and parts of Eastern Europe, and the [Gregorian Calendar or 'New Style' elsewhere. At Newton's birth, Gregorian dates were ten days ahead of Julian dates: thus Newton was born on Christmas Day, [25 December [ by the Julian calendar, but on 4 January [ by the Gregorian. Moreover, the English new year began on [25 March (the anniversary of the Incarnation) and not on [1 January (until the general adoption of the Gregorian calendar in the UK in 1753). Unless otherwise noted, the remainder of the dates in this article follow the Julian Calendar. |birth_place = [Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, [Lincolnshire, [England |residence = {{flag|England--> |nationality = {{flagicon|England--> [England |death_date = {{death date and age|1728|3|31|1643|1|4|df=y--> [[Old Style and New Style dates: [20 March [ |death_place = [Kensington, [London, England |field = [theology, [physics, [mathematician, [astronomy, [natural philosophy, and [alchemy |work_institutions = [University of Cambridge
[Royal Society |alma_mater = [Trinity College, Cambridge |known_for = [Newtonian mechanics
[Universal gravitation
[Calculus
[Optics |prizes = |religion = |footnotes = --> '''Sir Isaac Newton''' Fellow of the Royal Society ([4 January [ – 31 March [) [Old Style and New Style dates: [25 December [ – [20 March [ was an [England [physics, [mathematician, [astronomy, [natural philosophy, and [alchemy. His treatise ''[Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica'', published in 1687, described [law of universal gravitation and the three [Newton's laws of motion, laying the groundwork for [classical mechanics, which dominated the scientific view of the physical universe for the next three centuries and is the basis for modern engineering. He showed that the motion of objects on Earth and of [celestial mechanics bodies are governed by the same set of natural laws by demonstrating the consistency between [Kepler's laws of planetary motion and his theory of gravitation, thus removing the last doubts about [heliocentrism and advancing the [scientific revolution. In mechanics, Newton enunciated the principles of [Momentum and [angular momentum. In [optics, he invented the [reflecting telescope and developed a theory of [colour based on the observation that a [triangular prism (optics) decomposes [white [light into a [visible spectrum. He also formulated an empirical [Newton's law of cooling and studied the [speed of sound. In mathematics, Newton shares the credit with [Gottfried Leibniz for the [history of calculus of the [calculus. He also demonstrated the [binomial theorem, developed the so-called "[Newton's method" for approximating the zeroes of a [Function (mathematics), and contributed to the study of [power series. In a 2005 poll of the [Royal Society of who had the greatest effect on the [history of science, Newton was deemed more influential than [Albert Einstein.{{cite web |title=Newton beats Einstein in polls of scientists and the public |work=The Royal Society |url=http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/news.asp?id=3880 |accessdate=2006-10-25--> ==Biography== {{IsaacNewtonSegments|left--> ===Early years=== {{Main|Isaac Newton's early life and achievements--> ]. Isaac Newton was born on January 4, [ [Old Style and New Style dates: [December 25, [ at [Woolsthorpe Manor in [Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, a [Hamlet (place) in the county of [Lincolnshire. At the time of Newton's birth, England had not adopted the latest papal calendar and therefore his date of birth was recorded as Christmas Day, [December 25, [. Newton was born three months after his father, also called Isaac, died. Born [Premature birth, he was a small child; his mother [Hannah Ayscough reportedly said that he could have fit inside a [quart mug. When Newton was three, his mother remarried and went to live with her new husband, the Reverend Barnabus Smith, leaving her son in the care of his maternal grandmother, Margery Ayscough. The young Isaac disliked his step-father and held some enmity towards his mother for marrying him, as revealed by this entry in a list of sins committed up to the age of 19: ''Threatening my father and mother Smith to burn them and the house over them.''Cohen, I.B. (1970). Dictionary of Scientific Biography, Vol. 11, p.43. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons Newton is believed by some researchers to have suffered from Asperger's Syndrome, a form of [autism.''Einstein and Newton 'had autism'', BBC News, 30 April 2003[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2988647.stmMuir, Hazel: ''Einstein and Newton showed signs of autism'', NewScientist, 30 April 2003http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3676.html Indeed it is believed that like other historical geniuses Asperger's may have been the very cause of Newton's intellect. According to [Eric Temple Bell and H. Eves: ''Newton began his schooling in the village schools and was later sent to [The King's School, Grantham, where he became the top student in the school. At King's, he lodged with the local [apothecary, [William Clarke (apothecary) and eventually became engaged to the apothecary's stepdaughter, Anne Storer, before he went off to the [University of Cambridge at the age of 19. As Newton became engrossed in his studies, the romance cooled and Miss Storer married someone else. It is said he kept a warm memory of this love, but Newton had no other recorded "sweet-hearts" and never married.''{{cite book |last=Bell |first=E.T. |origyear=1937 |year=1986 |title=Men of Mathematics |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |edition=Touchstone edition |pages=pp. 91–2--> He is suspected to have been a virgin throughout his life.http://www.ams.org/notices/200311/rev-krantz.pdf Book Review Isaac Newton biography December 2003 However, Bell and Eves' sources for this claim, William Stukeley and Mrs. Vincent (the former Miss Storer — actually named Katherine, not Anne), merely say that Newton entertained "a passion" for Storer while he lodged at the Clarke house. From the age of about twelve until he was seventeen, Newton was educated at [The King's School, Grantham (where his signature can still be seen upon a library window sill). He was removed from school, and by October 1659, he was to be found at [Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, where his mother, widowed by now for a second time, attempted to make a farmer of him. He was, by later reports of his contemporaries, thoroughly unhappy with the work. It appears to have been Henry Stokes, master at the King's School, who persuaded his mother to send him back to school so that he might complete his education. This he did at the age of eighteen, achieving an admirable final report. In June 1661, he was admitted to [Trinity College, Cambridge. At that time, the college's teachings were based on those of [Aristotle, but Newton preferred to read the more advanced ideas of modern philosophers such as [René Descartes and [astronomers such as [Galileo Galilei, [Nicolaus Copernicus and [Johannes Kepler. In 1665, he discovered the generalized binomial theorem and began to develop a mathematical theory that would later become calculus. Soon after Newton had obtained his degree in April of 1665, the University closed down as a precaution against the [Great Plague of London. For the next 2 years, Newton worked at his home in Woolsthorpe on [calculus, [optics and the [law of gravitation. ===Middle years=== {{Main|Isaac Newton's middle years--> ] ====Mathematics==== Most modern historians believe that Newton and Leibniz had developed calculus independently, using their own unique notations. According to Newton's inner circle, Newton had worked out his method years before Leibniz, yet he published almost nothing about it until 1693, and did not give a full account until 1704. Meanwhile, Leibniz began publishing a full account of his methods in 1684. Moreover, Leibniz's notation and "differential Method" were universally adopted on the Continent, and after 1820 or so, in the British Empire. Whereas Leibniz's notebooks show the advancement of the ideas from early stages until maturity, there is only the end product in Newton's known notes. Newton claimed that he had been reluctant to publish his calculus because he feared being mocked for it. Newton had a very close relationship with Swiss mathematician Nicolas Fatio de Duillier, who from the beginning was impressed by Newton's gravitational theory. In 1691 Duillier planned to prepare a new version of Newton's ''Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica'', but never finished it. Some of Newton's biographers have suggested that the relationship may have been romantic.http://www.knittingcircle.org.uk/isaacnewton.html Biography of Isaac Newton at http://www.knittingcircle.org.uk www.knittingcircle.org.uk However, in 1694 the relationship between the two men cooled down. At the time, Duillier had also exchanged several letters with Leibniz. Starting in 1699, other members of the [Royal Society (of which Newton was a member) accused Leibniz of plagiarism, and the dispute broke out in full force in 1711. Newton's Royal Society proclaimed in a study that it was Newton who was the true discoverer and labeled Leibniz a fraud. This study was cast into doubt when it was later found that Newton himself wrote the study's concluding remarks on Leibniz. Thus began the bitter [Newton v. Leibniz calculus controversy, which marred the lives of both Newton and Leibniz until the latter's death in 1716. Newton is generally credited with the [Binomial theorem#Newton.27s generalized binomial theorem, valid for any exponent. He discovered [Newton's identities, [Newton's method, classified cubic plane curves (polynomials of degree three in two variables), made substantial contributions to the theory of [finite differences, and was the first to use fractional indices and to employ coordinate geometry to derive solutions to [Diophantine equations. He approximated partial sums of the harmonic series by logarithms (a precursor to [Euler's summation formula), and was the first to use power series with confidence and to revert power series. He also discovered a new formula for calculating [pi. He was elected [Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in 1669. In that day, any fellow of Cambridge or [University of Oxford had to be an ordained Anglican priest. However, the terms of the Lucasian professorship required that the holder ''not'' be active in the church (presumably so as to have more time for science). Newton argued that this should exempt him from the ordination requirement, and [Charles II of England, whose permission was needed, accepted this argument. Thus a conflict between Newton's religious views and Anglican orthodoxy was averted. ==== Optics ==== From 1670 to 1672, Newton lectured on optics. During this period he investigated the [refraction of light, demonstrating that a [Triangular prism (optics) could decompose [White into a [optical spectrum of colors, and that a [Lens (optics) and a second prism could recompose the multicolored spectrum into white light. ]. He also showed that the colored light does not change its properties, by separating out a colored beam and shining it on various objects. Newton noted that regardless of whether it was reflected or scattered or transmitted, it stayed the same color. Thus the colors we observe are the result of how objects interact with the incident ''already-colored'' light, '''not''' the result of objects ''generating'' the color. For more details, see [Isaac Newton's early life and achievements#Newton's theory of colour. From this work he concluded that any refracting [telescope would suffer from the [dispersion (optics) of light into colors, and invented a reflecting telescope (today known as a [Newtonian telescope) to bypass that problem. By grinding his own mirrors, using [Newton's rings to judge the [quality of the optics for his telescopes, he was able to produce a superior instrument to the refracting telescope, due primarily to the wider diameter of the mirror. In 1671 the Royal Society asked for a demonstration of his reflecting telescope. Their interest encouraged him to publish his notes ''On Color'', which he later expanded into his ''Opticks''. When [Robert Hooke criticised some of Newton's ideas, Newton was so offended that he withdrew from public debate. The two men remained enemies until Hooke's death. Newton argued that light is composed of particles or ''corpuscles'' and were refracted by accelerating toward the denser medium, but he had to associate them with [waves to explain the [diffraction of light (''Opticks'' Bk. II, Props. XII-L). Later physicists instead favoured a purely wavelike explanation of light to account for diffraction. Today's [quantum mechanics, [photons and the idea of [wave-particle duality bear only a minor resemblance to Newton's understanding of light. In his ''Hypothesis of Light'' of 1675, Newton [wikt:posited the existence of the [luminiferous aether to transmit forces between particles. The contact with the [theosophist [Henry More, revived his interest in alchemy. He replaced the ether with occult forces based on [Hermeticism ideas of attraction and repulsion between particles. [John Maynard Keynes, who acquired many of Newton's writings on alchemy, stated that "Newton was not the first of the age of reason: he was the last of the magicians."{{cite book idea of [action at a distance (physics), across a vacuum, he might not have developed his theory of gravity. (See also [Isaac Newton's occult studies.) In 1704 Newton wrote ''[Opticks'', in which he expounded his corpuscular theory of light. He considered light to be made up of extremely subtle corpuscles, that ordinary matter was made of grosser corpuscles and speculated that through a kind of alchemical transmutation "Are not gross Bodies and Light convertible into one another, ...and may not Bodies receive much of their Activity from the Particles of Light which enter their Composition?" In 1677, Newton returned to his work on mechanics, i.e., gravitation and its effect on the orbits of [planets, with reference to Kepler's laws of planetary motion, and consulting with Hooke and [John Flamsteed on the subject. He published his results in ''De Motu Corporum'' (1684). This contained the beginnings of the laws of motion that would inform the ''Principia''. The ''[Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica'' (now known as the ''Principia'') was published on 5 July 1687 with encouragement and financial help from [Edmond Halley. In this work Newton stated the [Isaac Newton#Newton's laws of motion that were not to be improved upon for more than two hundred years. He used the Latin word ''gravitas'' (weight) for the force that would become known as [gravity, and defined the law of [universal gravitation. In the same work he presented the first analytical determination, based on [Boyle's law, of the speed of sound in air. With the ''Principia'', Newton became internationally recognised. He acquired a circle of admirers, including the [Switzerland-born mathematician [Nicolas Fatio de Duillier, with whom he formed an intense relationship that lasted until 1693. The end of this friendship led Newton to a [nervous breakdown. ===Later life=== {{details|Isaac Newton's later life--> ]. In the 1690s Newton wrote a number of [religious tracts dealing with the literal interpretation of the [Bible. [Henry More's belief in the universe and rejection of [Cartesian dualism may have influenced Newton's religious ideas. A manuscript he sent to [John Locke in which he disputed the existence of the [Trinity was never published. Later works — ''The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended'' (1728) and ''Observations Upon the Prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St. John'' (1733) — were published after his death. He also devoted a great deal of time to alchemy (see above). Newton was also a member of the [Parliament of England from 1689 to 1690 and in 1701, but his only recorded comments were to complain about a cold draft in the chamber and request that the window be closed. Newton moved to London to take up the post of warden of the [Royal Mint in 1696, a position that he had obtained through the patronage of [Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, then [Chancellor of the Exchequer. He took charge of England's great recoining, somewhat treading on the toes of Master Lucas (and securing the job of deputy [comptroller of the temporary Chester branch for Edmond Halley). Newton became perhaps the best-known [Master of the Mint upon Lucas' death in 1699, a position Newton held until his death. These appointments were intended as [sinecures, but Newton took them seriously, retiring from his Cambridge duties in 1701, and exercising his power to reform the currency and punish [debasement and counterfeiters. As Master of the Mint in [ Newton unofficially moved the [Pound Sterling from the [silver standard to the [gold standard by creating a relationship between gold coins and the silver penny in the [Anne of Great Britain; these were all great reforms at the time, adding considerably to the wealth and stability of England. It was his work at the Mint, rather than his earlier contributions to science, that earned him a [knighthood from Queen Anne in 1705. ] Newton was made President of the [Royal Society in 1703 and an associate of the French [French Academy of Sciences. In his position at the Royal Society, Newton made an enemy of John Flamsteed, the [Astronomer Royal, by prematurely publishing Flamsteed's star catalogue, which Newton had used in his studies. Newton died in London on March 31, [ [Old Style and New Style dates: [March 20, [, and was buried in [Westminster Abbey. His half-niece, Catherine Barton Conduitt,Westfall 1980, p. 44. served as his hostess in social affairs at his house on Jermyn Street in London; he was her "very loving Uncle,"Westfall 1980, p. 595 according to his letter to her when she was recovering from smallpox. Although Newton, who had no children, had divested much of his estate onto relatives in his last years he actually died Intestacy.

After his death, Newton's body was discovered to have had massive amounts of Mercury (element) in it, probably resulting from his alchemical pursuits. Mercury poisoning could explain Newton's eccentricity in late life.

Religious views Although the laws of motion and universal gravitation became Newton's best-known discoveries, he warned against using them to view the universe as a mere machine, as if akin to a great clock. He said, "Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion. God governs all things and knows all that is or can be done."

His scientific fame notwithstanding, Newton's studies of the Bible and of the early Church Fathers were also noteworthy. Newton wrote works on textual criticism, most notably An Historical Account of Two Notable Corruptions of Scripture. He also placed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ at 3 April, AD 33, which agrees with one traditionally accepted date.John P. Meier, John P. Meier#A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, v. 1, pp. 382–402 after narrowing the years to 30 or 33, provisionally judges 30 most likely. He also attempted, unsuccessfully, to find hidden messages within the Bible (See Bible code).

Newton may have rejected the church's doctrine of the Trinity. In a minority view, T.C. Pfizenmaier argues that he more likely held the Eastern Orthodox Church view of the Trinity rather than the Western one held by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and most Protestants. In his own day, he was also accused of being a Rosicrucianism (as were many in the Royal Society and in the court of Charles II).

In his own lifetime, Newton wrote more on religion than he did on natural science. He believed in a rationally immanent world, but he rejected the hylozoism implicit in Leibniz and Baruch Spinoza. Thus, the ordered and dynamically informed universe could be understood, and must be understood, by an active reason, but this universe, to be perfect and ordained, had to be regular.

Newton's effect on religious thought ; here, Newton is depicted as a 'divine geometer'Newton and Robert Boyle’s mechanical philosophy was promoted by rationalist pamphleteers as a viable alternative to the pantheism and enthusiasm, and was accepted hesitantly by orthodox preachers as well as dissident preachers like the latitudinarians. Thus, the clarity and simplicity of science was seen as a way to combat the emotional and metaphysics superlatives of both superstition enthusiasm and the threat of atheism, and, at the same time, the second wave of English deism used Newton's discoveries to demonstrate the possibility of a "Natural Religion."

The attacks made against pre-Age of Enlightenment "magical thinking," and the Christian mysticism, were given their foundation with Boyle’s mechanical conception of the universe. Newton gave Boyle’s ideas their completion through mathematical proofs and, perhaps more importantly, was very successful in popularising them. Newton refashioned the world governed by an interventionist God into a world crafted by a God that designs along rational and universal principles. These principles were available for all people to discover, allowed man to pursue his own aims fruitfully in this life, not afterlife, and to perfect himself with his own rational powers.

Newton saw God as the master creator whose existence could not be denied in the face of the grandeur of all creation.Principia, Book III; cited in; Newton’s Philosophy of Nature: Selections from his writings, p. 42, ed. H.S. Thayer, Hafner Library of Classics, NY, 1953.A Short Scheme of the True Religion, manuscript quoted in Memoirs of the Life, Writings and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton by Sir David Brewster, Edinburgh, 1850; cited in; ibid, p. 65.Webb, R.K. ed. Knud Haakonssen. “The emergence of Rational Dissent.” Enlightenment and Religion: Rational Dissent in eighteenth-century Britain. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 1996. p19. But the unforeseen Christian theology consequence of his conception of God, as Leibniz pointed out, was that God was now entirely removed from the world’s affairs, since the need for intervention would only evidence some imperfection in God’s creation, something impossible for a perfect and omnipotent creator. Westfall, Richard S. Science and Religion in Seventeenth-Century England. p201. Leibniz's theodicy cleared God from the responsibility for "Problem of evil" by making God removed from participation in his creation. The understanding of the world was now brought down to the level of simple human reason, and humans, as Odo Marquard argued, became responsible for the correction and elimination of evil.Marquard, Odo. "Burdened and Disemburdened Man and the Flight into Unindictability," in Farewell to Matters of Principle. Robert M. Wallace trans. London: Oxford UP, 1989.

On the other hand, latitudinarian and Newtonian ideas taken too far resulted in the millenarians, a religious faction dedicated to the concept of a mechanical universe, but finding in it the same enthusiasm and mysticism that the Enlightenment had fought so hard to extinguish.Jacob, Margaret C. The Newtonians and the English Revolution: 1689–1720. p100–101.

Views over end of the world In a manuscript he wrote in 1704 in which he describes his attempts to extract scientific information from the Bible, he estimated that the world would end no earlier than 2060. In predicting this he said, "This I mention not to assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fanciful men who are frequently predicting the time of the end, and by doing so bring the sacred prophesies into discredit as often as their predictions fail."

Newton and the counterfeiters As warden of the Royal Mint, Newton estimated that 20% of the coins taken in during The Royal Mint were counterfeit. Counterfeiting was High treason in the United Kingdom, punishable by being hanged, drawn and quartered. Despite this, convictions of the most flagrant criminals could be extremely difficult to achieve; however, Newton proved to be equal to the task.

He gathered much of that evidence himself, disguised, while he hung out at bars and taverns. For all the barriers placed to prosecution, and separating the branches of government, English law still had ancient and formidable customs of authority. Newton was made a justice of the peace and between June 1698 and Christmas 1699 conducted some 200 cross-examinations of witnesses, informers and suspects. Newton won his convictions and in February 1699, he had ten prisoners waiting to be executed.

Possibly Newton's greatest triumph as the king's attorney was against William Chaloner. One of Chaloner's schemes was to set up phony conspiracies of Roman Catholic Church and then turn in the hapless conspirators whom he entrapped. Chaloner made himself rich enough to posture as a gentleman. Petitioning Parliament, Chaloner accused the Mint of providing tools to counterfeiters (a charge also made by others). He proposed that he be allowed to inspect the Mint's processes in order to improve them. He petitioned Parliament to adopt his plans for a coinage that could not be counterfeited, while at the same time striking false coins. Newton was outraged, and went about the work to uncover anything about Chaloner. During his studies, he found that Chaloner was engaged in counterfeiting. He immediately put Chaloner on trial, but Mr Chaloner had friends in high places, and to Newton's horror, Chaloner walked free. Newton put him on trial a second time with conclusive evidence. Chaloner was convicted of high treason and hanged, drawn and quartered on 23 March 1699 at Tyburn, London.Westfall 1980, pp. 571–5

Enlightenment philosophers Age of Enlightenment philosophers chose a short history of scientific predecessors—Galileo, Boyle, and Newton principally—as the guides and guarantors of their applications of the singular concept of Nature and Natural law to every physical and social field of the day. In this respect, the lessons of history and the social structures built upon it could be discarded.Cassels, Alan. Ideology and International Relations in the Modern World. p2.

It was Newton’s conception of the universe based upon Natural and rationally understandable laws that became the seed for Enlightenment ideology. Locke and Voltaire applied concepts of Natural Law to political systems advocating intrinsic rights; the physiocrats and Adam Smith applied Natural conceptions of psychology and self-interest to economic systems and the sociology criticised the current social order for trying to fit history into Natural models of progress (philosophy). Monboddo and Samuel Clarke resisted elements of Newton's work, but eventually rationalised it to conform with their strong religious views of nature.

Newton's laws of motion The famous three laws of motion:

Newton's First Law (also known as the Law of Inertia) states that an object at rest tends to stay at rest and that an object in uniform motion tends to stay in uniform motion unless acted upon by a net external force.

Newton's Second Law states that an applied force, F , on an object equals the time rate of change of its momentum, p . Mathematically, this is written as \vec F = \frac{d\vec p}{dt} \, = \, \frac{d}{dt} (m \vec v) \, = \, \vec v \, \frac{dm}{dt} + m \, \frac{d\vec v}{dt} \,. Assuming the mass to be constant, the first term vanishes. Defining the acceleration to be \vec a \ =\ d\vec v/dt results in the famous equation \vec F = m \, \vec a \, which states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force acting on the object and inversely proportional to its mass. In the MKS system of measurement, mass is given in kilograms, acceleration in metres per second squared, and force in newtons (named in his honour).

Newton's Third Law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Newton's apple {{cquote| When Newton saw an apple fall, he found
In that slight startle from his contemplation —
'Tis said (for I'll not answer above ground
For any sage's creed or calculation) —
A mode of proving that the earth turn'd round
In a most natural whirl, called "gravitation;"
And this is the sole mortal who could grapple,
Since Adam, with a fall or with an apple.Don Juan (1821), Canto 10, Verse I. In Jerome J. McGann (ed.), Lord Byron: The Complete Poetical Works (1986), Vol. 5, 437-->A popular story claims that Newton was inspired to formulate his theory of universal gravitation by the fall of an apple from a tree. Cartoons have gone further to suggest the apple actually hit Newton's head, and that its impact somehow made him aware of the force of gravity. John Conduitt, Newton's assistant at the Royal Mint and husband of Newton's niece, described the event when he wrote about Newton's life:

-->

The question was not whether gravity existed, but whether it extended so far from Earth that it could also be the force holding the moon to its orbit. Newton showed that if the force decreased as the inverse square of the distance, one could indeed calculate the Moon's orbital period, and get good agreement. He guessed the same force was responsible for other orbital motions, and hence named it "universal gravitation".

A contemporary writer, William Stukeley, recorded in his Memoirs of Sir Isaac Newton's Life a conversation with Newton in Kensington on 15 April 1726, in which Newton recalled "when formerly, the notion of gravitation came into his mind. It was occasioned by the fall of an apple, as he sat in contemplative mood. Why should that apple always descend perpendicularly to the ground, thought he to himself. Why should it not go sideways or upwards, but constantly to the earth's centre." In similar terms, Voltaire wrote in his Essay on Epic Poetry (1727), "Sir Isaac Newton walking in his gardens, had the first thought of his system of gravitation, upon seeing an apple falling from a tree." These accounts are probably exaggerations of Newton's own tale about sitting by a window in his home (Woolsthorpe Manor) and watching an apple fall from a tree.

Various trees are claimed to be "the" apple tree which Newton describes. The King's School, Grantham, claims that the tree was purchased by the school, uprooted and transported to the headmaster's garden some years later, the staff of the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty-owned Woolsthorpe Manor dispute this, and claim that a tree present in their gardens is the one described by Newton. A descendant of the original tree can be seen growing outside the main gate of Trinity College, Cambridge, below the room Newton lived in when he studied there. The National Fruit Collection at Brogdalehttp://www.brogdale.org.uk/nfc_home.php can supply grafts from their tree (ref 1948-729), which appears identical to Flower of Kent, a coarse-fleshed cooking variety.

Writings by Newton

Method of Fluxions (1671)
Of Natures Obvious Laws & Processes in Vegetation (1671–75) unpublished work on alchemy Newton's alchemical works transcribed and online at Indiana University (Bloomington) retrieved January 11, 2007
De Motu Corporum in Gyrum (1684)
Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687)
Opticks (1704)
Reports as Master of the Mint (1701–25)
Arithmetica Universalis (1707)
Short Chronicle, The System of the World, Optical Lectures, The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms, Amended and De mundi systemate were published posthumously in 1728.
An Historical Account of Two Notable Corruptions of Scripture (1754)

Fame French mathematician Joseph Louis Lagrange often said that Newton was the greatest genius who ever lived, and once added that he was also "the most fortunate, for we cannot find more than once a system of the world to establish."Fred L. Wilson, History of Science: Newton citing: Delambre, M. "Notice sur la vie et les ouvrages de M. le comte J. L. Lagrange," Oeuvres de Lagrange I. Paris, 1867, p. xx. English poet Alexander Pope was moved by Newton's accomplishments to write the famous epitaph:{{cquote] in February 1676Historians generally think the above quote was an attack on Hooke (who was short and hunchbacked), rather than - or in addition to - a statement of modesty. The two were in a dispute over optical discoveries at the time. The latter interpretation also fits with many of his other disputes over his discoveries - such as the question of who discovered calculus as discussed above.

And then in a memoir later

Footnotes and references Resources References

Excerpt
This well documented work provides, in particular, valuable information regarding Newton's knowledge of Patristics
"The Invisible Science." Magical Egypt. Chance Gardner and John Anthony West. 2005.