Sir Isaac Newton: The Pioneer of Modern Science
Heard of Calculus? How about the laws of physics? If either of those ring a bell then surely Sir Isaac Newton in not an unfamiliar name. He is most well known for formulating the first theory of gravity from a falling apple; he also wrote some of the most significant scientific works of all time, such as Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica and Opticks. And using the single most influential mind in the history of modern science Sir Isaac Newton questioned, studied, and disproved long held scientific notions, ushering in a new age of math and science.
Newton was born to a local yeoman, or a man holding and cultivating a small estate, also named Isaac Newton, in Woolsthorpe Manor, England.
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“On his own, without formal guidance, he had sought out the new philosophy and the new mathematics and made them his own, but he had confined the progress of his studies to his notebooks”. Then, in 1665, the plague hit England, closing the university and forcing Newton home for two years to contemplate what he had learned. It was during these years that newton formulated the first ever theory of gravity, and laid the foundations of calculus. “It was during this time that he examined the elements of circular motion and, applying his analysis to the Moon and the planets, derived the inverse square relation that the radially directed force acting on a planet decreases with the square of its distance from the Sun—which was later crucial to the law of universal gravitation”. Newton confined his massive discoveries to his notes once again, and the world heard …show more content…
It was the culmination of more than 20 years of thinking. It outlined his own theory of calculus, the three laws of motion and the first rigorous account of his theory of universal gravitation. Together, this provided a revolutionary new mathematical description of the Universe. The work cemented his reputation and contains much of what he is remembered for today. In the 17th Century, Britain's finances were in crisis. One in every 10 coins was forged, and often the metal in a coin was worth more than the face value of the coin itself. Newton oversaw a huge project to recall the old currency, and issue a more reliable one. Always methodical, Newton kept a database of counterfeiters, and prosecuted them with a puritanical fury. He was appointed Master of the Mint in 1700 and held the post for the rest of his