An apple fell on his head and he found gravity, yes we all know the name Isaac Newton with this story. But we know little because he is one of the most important scientists and philosophers in world history. Let’s take a closer look at who is Isaac Newton, who shook the world of physics with his laws of motion.
How beautiful it used to be, an apple fell on the man’s head, said gravity. People who have little interest in science generally think this way about Isaac Newton because let’s face it, we don’t come across these facts very often in our daily lives. But science, especially When we look at it from the window of physical science, we can clearly say that Isaac Newton is one of the greatest scientists in the history of the world.
Yes, Isaac Newton discovered gravity, but moreover, he discovered universal motions. Literally with the laws of motion it lays down opened a new door in the world of physics. His unique theorems changed the world of mathematics. In other words, everything you can think of about science has its signature, albeit a small one. Let’s take a closer look at who Isaac Newton is and see his contributions to our world of science.
A child influenced by Descartes at a young age: Who is Isaac Newton?
Born on January 4, 1643 in Lincolnshire, England Because his father passed away three months before Isaac Newton died. His mother had just married someone else. For this reason, little Isaac had to spend most of his childhood with his grandmother. After his basic education at King’s School, he enrolled at Trinity College.
Isaac Newton, who received a classical education at Trinity College under the umbrella of Cambridge University, gave himself to books because he was bored and During this period, he became acquainted with the works of philosophers such as René Descartes. Isaac Newton returned home in 1665 when the Great Plague, one of the greatest disasters in history, emerged. Of course, since there was no distance education at that time, he focused on his own studies.
His work on light led him to invent the Newton telescope:
After the epidemic was over, Isaac Newton returned to Cambridge University in 1667 and became a lecturer. His work on light and color came to fruition here. and in 1668 he invented the first reflecting telescope in history, now known as the Newton telescope. He first earned a master’s degree and later became a professor of mathematics. After introducing his telescope to the Royal Society of London, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1671.
The refraction experiments he made in the following years opened a new door in the world of color because revealed that white light is actually a composite of all the colors in the spectrum. Moreover, he mentioned that light is not wavy but particle. When his work during this period was criticized harshly by Robert Hooke, who was also a member of the Royal Society, he finally fell into his own shell for a while, having a nervous breakdown in 1678.
Finally, that apple fell on his head (!) and the laws of motion were revealed:
Since Isaac Newton had been studying force and motion as long as he could remember, he didn’t need an apple to fall on his head to find gravity. this is an urban legend. But if we want to create a moment of enlightenment for this discovery, we can talk about its visit by English astronomer Edmund Halley in 1684.
When Halley saw that Newton had mathematically calculated the elliptical paths followed by the celestial bodies, he asked him to arrange them. At the end of these arrangements, Newton was renamed Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica in Turkish. He created the book Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. There are three rules in this book that we know as the universal law of gravity and the laws of motion:
- If a moving object is not exposed to an external force, it continues its linear motion.
- The greater the mass of an object, the greater its resistance to a moving effect.
- To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Newton finally came of age:
Isaac Newton literally after Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica became a star of science and finally came out of its shell. This work, which is considered one of the most important works of the modern scientific world, is also considered one of the most important parts of the European enlightenment period.
Isaac Newton was appointed director of the Royal Mint in 1696. Although it may seem unrelated, this appointment was actually a kind of honour. But Newton did not carry out this task only symbolically. He started a great war against the counterfeiters, raising the sterling from the silver standard to the gold standard.
You will now call him ‘Sir Isaac Newton’:
His election as president of the Royal Society in 1703 brought the name Isaac Newton to the pinnacle of science. During this period, he did not sit idle and He published the book Opticks, which is considered one of his most important works. Newton detailed his experiments with light and color in this book. In 1705, thanks to his work, he was knighted by Queen Anne of England and received the title of Sir.
For many years, calculus, a kind of mathematical study area, was thought to have been developed by Isaac Newton. However German mathematician Gottfried Leibniz published a similar work in 1684. During his time as president of the Royal Society, Newton conducted an investigation to prove the authorship of these works. The investigation was only completed in 1716, and it was concluded that both scientists conducted these studies independently. In other words, the answer to the question of who came up with the calculus formula is both Newton and Leibniz.
Isaac Newton, who changed the world of science, passed away quietly:
Isaac Newton never married in his life and had no children. England in the last years of his life. She moved in with her nephew, who lives in the Winchester area. He died in his sleep on March 31, 1727 at the age of 84. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.
Why is Newton so important?
Sir Isaac Newton is a mathematician, astronomer, physicist, inventor, alchemist, philosopher and theologian. Although his studies in physics were published during his lifetime, Studies in history and religion It was only edited and published after his death. The gravitational law in the Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica became known as Newton’s law. The laws of motion have shaped the history of science. He invented a telescope named after him and conducted unique experiments on light and color. What else?
Considered one of the greatest scientists in the history of the world, Who is Isaac Newton We talked about the laws of motion and other works by answering the question. It is very pleasing that such a great scientist was valued during his lifetime.