Sir Sir IsaacIsaac

““Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in nightNature and Nature's laws lay hid in nightGod said ‘Let Newton be!’God said ‘Let Newton be!’

And all was light.”And all was light.”- Alexander Pope- Alexander Pope

NewtonNewton

His Formative YearsHis Formative Years• Born on December 25,

1642 (January 4, 1643) in Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire, England

• Raised by his grandparents

• Pulled out of school at 14 to run the family farm

• Wasn’t good at farming, so they sent him back to school

The Newton residence, circa 1689

SchoolingSchooling

► Entered Trinity College at Entered Trinity College at Cambridge University at Cambridge University at age 18 and began age 18 and began studying to become a studying to become a ministerminister

► Graduated at age 23Graduated at age 23► Returned to the farm Returned to the farm

because of the Black because of the Black DeathDeath He got bored and ended up He got bored and ended up

working on the binomial working on the binomial theorem, light, telescopes, theorem, light, telescopes, calculus, and theologycalculus, and theology

Newton in about 1702

CalculusCalculus

► Started developing Calculus as Started developing Calculus as early as 1666 but never really early as 1666 but never really got around to publishing muchgot around to publishing much

► In about 1668, Wilhelm Leibniz In about 1668, Wilhelm Leibniz began developing very similar began developing very similar ideas and published them ideas and published them before Newton’s published his before Newton’s published his workwork

► Arguing ensuedArguing ensued► (Leibniz used dy/dx notation; (Leibniz used dy/dx notation;

Newton used ẏ)Newton used ẏ) Post-Modern Newton

OpticksOpticks► Discovered that light is Discovered that light is

made up of a spectrum of made up of a spectrum of colorscolors

► Made the first telescope Made the first telescope that used a curved mirror that used a curved mirror instead of lensesinstead of lenses

► Believed that light was Believed that light was made up of “corpuscles” made up of “corpuscles” rather than waves (Hooke rather than waves (Hooke and Huygens disagreed)and Huygens disagreed)

► Didn’t publish any of this Didn’t publish any of this until the after the death of until the after the death of Hooke in 1703Hooke in 1703 Newton in the Lab

Apples and StuffApples and Stuff

► Formulated Newton’s Formulated Newton’s Laws Laws

► Proved that the force Proved that the force of gravity is inversely of gravity is inversely proportional to proportional to distance squareddistance squared

► After conquering After conquering gravity, motion and gravity, motion and optics, decided to optics, decided to work on changing work on changing lead into goldlead into gold

Religious ViewsReligious Views► Wrote a book about the fall of Wrote a book about the fall of

Christianity in the 4Christianity in the 4thth Century A.D. Century A.D.► ““This most beautiful system of the This most beautiful system of the

sun, planets, and comets, could sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and dominion of an intelligent Being ... This Being governs all Being ... This Being governs all things ... as Lord of all. . . Atheism things ... as Lord of all. . . Atheism is so senseless. When I look at the is so senseless. When I look at the solar system, I see the earth at solar system, I see the earth at the right distance from the sun to the right distance from the sun to receive the proper amounts of receive the proper amounts of heat and light. This did not heat and light. This did not happen by chance.”happen by chance.”

► His religious ideas got him in His religious ideas got him in trouble because he taught at a trouble because he taught at a church-run universitychurch-run university

Newtonian TriviaNewtonian Trivia

► Became Master of the Became Master of the Royal Mint in 1699Royal Mint in 1699

► First scientist to be First scientist to be knighted for his work knighted for his work (1708)(1708)

► Elected President of the Elected President of the Royal Society every year Royal Society every year from 1703 to 1727from 1703 to 1727

► Member of Parliament Member of Parliament (1689-1690)(1689-1690)

► Died in 1727Died in 1727Newton in 1726

““I do not know what I may appear to I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.” truth lay all undiscovered before me.”

- Isaac Newton- Isaac Newton