Written by: Riddhis Sharma - 26006, Grade IX
Posted on: 07 February, 2023
Isaac Newton is best known for his theory of the law of gravitation, but his work "Principia Mathematica" (1686) with his three laws of motion greatly influenced the Enlightenment period in Europe. Born in 1643 in Woolsthorpe, England, Isaac Newton began developing theories of light, calculus and celestial mechanics during his break from Cambridge University.
He researched for years and finally concluded with the publication of “Principia” in 1687 which was a historical work that introduced the laws of motion and gravity. Issac Newton's second major book, "Opticks", explained his experiments to determine the properties of light. He was also a student of biblical history and alchemy, and he was also the president of the Royal Society of London and the owner of the Royal Mint until his death in 1727. He was the son of a farmer who died three months before he was born. He spent most of his childhood with his grandmother after his mother remarried. His education was halted because of an ill attempt of making him a farmer. Later, he attended King's School, Grantham before getting admitted at Trinity College, University of Cambridge in 1661. He studied the classical curriculum at Cambridge, but was also fascinated with the works of modern philosophers such as René Descartes, who was really famous at the time, so dedicating a set of notes to his external readings of René Descartes , he titled it as "Quaestiones Quaedam Philosophicae" ("Some Philosophical Questions"). When the Great Plague closed Cambridge in 1665, Newton returned home and began formulating theories about calculus, light and color, with his farm that first made him curious about why an apple falls to the ground when it is detached from the tree which later led to the finding of gravity. The debate over Newton's claims about the origin of the field of calculus had exploded into a controversy. Newton developed the concept of "flux" (differential) in the mid-1660s, although there are no public records of his work.
Meanwhile, the German mathematician Gottfried Leibniz formulated his own mathematical theories and published them in 1684. The debate continued even after Leibniz died in 1716. Scholars later concluded that both of the scientists probably came to their conclusions independent of each other’s theories.
Years of his research led to the conclusion that light is made up of spectrums of all colors. Even though he spent a large period of time concluding his research on gravity, Einstein’s theory took the spotlight and so he was not very popular at the time but nevertheless all of modern science is based on his research so modern scientists really appreciate his efforts in the field of science.
Newton was also an eager student of the history and concept of religion, and his writings on these subjects were included into several books that were published after his death. Newton was never married and lived the last years of his life with his niece at Cranbury Park near Winchester, England. He died in his sleep on March 31, 1727 and was buried at Westminster Abbey.
