Isaac Newton

Table of Contents

Introduction & Top Questions
Formative influences
Influence of the Scientific Revolution
Work during the plague years
Career
- The optics
  - Inaugural lectures at Trinity
  - Controversy
  - Influence of the Hermetic tradition
- The Principia
  - Planetary motion
  - Universal gravitation
- International prominence
  - Warden of the mint
  - Interest in religion and theology
  - Leader of English science
- Final years

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Consider how Isaac Newton's discovery of gravity led to a better understanding of planetary motion

Isaac Newton: The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy

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Understanding Newton’s Laws of Motion

Isaac Newton

Q: What is Isaac Newton most famous for?

Although Isaac Newton is well known for his discoveries in optics (white light composition) and mathematics ( calculus ), it is his formulation of the three laws of motion —the basic principles of modern physics—for which he is most famous. His formulation of the laws of motion resulted in the law of universal gravitation .

Q: How was Isaac Newton educated?

After interrupted attendance at the grammar school in Grantham, Lincolnshire , England , Isaac Newton finally settled down to prepare for university, going on to Trinity College, Cambridge , in 1661, somewhat older than his classmates. There he immersed himself in Aristotle ’s work and discovered the works of René Descartes before graduating in 1665 with a bachelor’s degree.

Q: What was Isaac Newton’s childhood like?

Isaac Newton was born to a widowed mother (his father died three months prior) and was not expected to survive, being tiny and weak. Shortly thereafter Newton was sent by his stepfather, the well-to-do minister Barnabas Smith, to live with his grandmother and was separated from his mother until Smith’s death in 1653.

Q: What did Isaac Newton write?

Isaac Newton is widely known for his published work Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687), commonly known as the Principia . His laws of motion first appeared in this work. It is one of the most important single works in the history of modern science .

English physicist and mathematician

Also known as: Sir Isaac Newton

Written by Richard S. Westfall

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024 • Article History

Isaac Newton

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Category: History & Society

In full:: Sir Isaac Newton

Born:: December 25, 1642 [January 4, 1643, New Style], Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire, England

Died:: March 20 [March 31], 1727, London (aged 84)

Notable Works:: “Opticks”; “Principia”; “The Method of Fluxions and Infinite Series”

Subjects Of Study:: Newtonian fluid; Newton’s law of cooling; colour; light; white light

Role In:: Scientific Revolution

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What is Isaac Newton most famous for?

How was Isaac Newton educated?

What was Isaac Newton’s childhood like?

What did Isaac Newton write?

Isaac Newton (born December 25, 1642 [January 4, 1643, New Style], Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire, England—died March 20 [March 31], 1727, London) English physicist and mathematician who was the culminating figure of the Scientific Revolution of the 17th century. In optics, his discovery of the composition of white light integrated the phenomena of colours into the science of light and laid the foundation for modern physical optics. In mechanics, his three laws of motion, the basic principles of modern physics, resulted in the formulation of the law of universal gravitation. In mathematics, he was the original discoverer of the infinitesimal calculus. Newton’s ...(100 of 5543 words)

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