Sir Isaac Newton

by Richard S.Westfall

210

 

Sir Isaac Newton was born December 25 1642 and died March 31 1727.Isaac Newton was a world renound scientist and physician who changed the world as we know it. In his early years he lived on a hamlet in England. His father, Isaac Newton was a sucsesful farmer but died 3 months before Isaac was born. Isaac wasnt good at his studies in his early years. In elementary he was bullied and so to humiliate the bully he focused so he would get better marks.
 Soon after he was pulled from school because his mother wanted him to pursue farming like Isaacs father. To Isaacs delight he failed miserably and continued atending Kings School agian. While in school he found great intrest in following his uncles foot steps and going to Cambrige University.
He entered in the year of inventors, the 17th century. After he had graduated he became a profesor and later wrote a book.
In Book I of Principia, Newton opened with definitions and the three laws of motion now known as Newton's laws (laws of inertia, action and reaction, and acceleration proportional to force). Book II presented Newton's new scientific philosophy which came to replace Cartesianism. Finally, Book III consisted of applications of his dynamics, including an explanation for tides and a theory of lunar motion.The surprised Flamsteed replied that an effect had indeed been observed, and it was closely predicted by the calculations Newton had provided. Newton's equations were further confirmed by observing the shape of the Earth to be oblate spheroidal, as Newton claimed it should be, rather than prolate spheroidal, as claimed by the Cartesians. Newton's equations also described the motion of Moon by successive approximations, and correctly predicted the return of Halley's Comet. Newton also correctly formulated and solved the first ever problem in the calculus of variations which involved finding the surface of revolution which would give minimum resistance to flow (assuming a specific drag law).
Newton singlehandedly contributed more to the development of science than any other individual in history. He surpassed all the gains brought about by the great scientific minds of antiquity, producing a scheme of the universe which was more consistent, elegant, and intuitive than any proposed before. Newton stated explicit principles of scientific methods which applied universally to all branches of science. This was in sharp contradistinction to the earlier methodologies of Aristotle and Aquinas, which had outlined separate methods for different disciplines. Over all the book was increadable and I would highly recomend this to anyone who is interested in science. Throughout the whole book I enjoyed every bit of it it was amazing.