Sir Isaac Newton
is one of the greatest scientist and mathematician that the world
has ever seen. Newton’s works were the defining works in
the history of science and led to a better understanding to the
elusive mystery of the physical phenomena. Born in Woolsthorpe
in Lincolnshire in England to a family of rich farmers on 4th
January 1643, Newton’s father died three months prior to
his birth. As his mother got remarried, Newton was looked after
by his grandparents. Newton went to Cambridge University in the
year 1661. In the period he spent there, Newton grew fascinated
by the areas of physics, mathematics, optics and astronomy.
Newton’s undergraduate years were not marked by any extraordinary
achievements. More than that, his knowledge was sometimes found
lacking in certain areas. Newton is believed to have spent these
years teaching himself Descartes, Gassendi and other distinguished
figures of scientific revolution. Due to the spread of the plague,
Newton returned home in 1665 where he spent two years contemplating
about gravity. This period was spent by devoting his attention
to optics and mathematics and the work done at this period would
form the basis of his book ‘Principia’ which would
come at a later stage. Upon his return to Cambridge, Newton was
elected a fellow to Trinity College which was an achievement
in itself considering the rather lack luster performance in the
undergraduate years.
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Success followed and in 1669,
before he turned twenty seven years of age, Newton succeeded his
teacher Isaac Barrow as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. In 1672,
Isaac Newton was elected to the Royal Society of London whereupon
he successfully published his first paper. This study on the nature
of color was widely discussed and debated. Newton was however sensitive
to criticisms which were showered upon him as any other pioneer.
This made him reserved and he resigned from the Society. In the
following years, Newton plunged deep and deep into the study of
the hidden forces of nature. By 1680, Newton is believed to have
drawn his own conclusions about the gravitational force though
the idea was in gestation in Newton’s mind for almost twenty
years. Due to the prompting from Edmund Halley, Robert Hooke and
Christopher Wren, in 1686 came out the monumental work in the history
of science, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. Newton
left Cambridge for London in the late 1690s to take charge of his
position as the Master of Mint. |
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Newton enjoyed power
and success at this time and he also proved himself to be a capable
administrator. In 1703, Newton became the president of the Royal
Society was re-elected to the post until his death. He was bestowed
with knighthood in the year 1705. Newton’s contributions
to science are immense. In the field of mathematics, the genius
made significant contributions to analytic geometry, calculus and
algebra. It was Newton who discovered the Binomial theorem. Newton’s
greatest feat lay in the discovery of gravitational force and thus
solved a great mystery that was left in the understanding of the
universe. Though not much known, Newton devoted time in the study
of theology and history too. Newton’s character was very
complex and remains a riddle to date. Sir Isaac Newton, one of
the greatest genius that humankind has ever seen, died on 31st
March 1727.
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