Brief biography of Sir Isaac Newton, considered the greatest scientist of all time, famous for "Principia," discovery of gravity, laws of motion, mathematics of calculus.

Sir Isaac Newton, (1642-1727), English scientist, physicist, mathematician and astronomer, is famous for discovering gravity and three laws of motion stated in his masterpiece Principia Mathematica, the basis for all modern physics. He created the mathematics of calculus, worked on the nature of light and the construction of telescopes; he also devoted researches to alchemy and theology.

Early Life of the Young Genius

Isaac Newton was born on Christmas Day in a small house in the Lincolnshire village of Woolsthorpe. He was so sickly that he was not expected to survive, but the contrary happened. He proved remarkably healthy and lived 84 years. His poor widowed mother left the infant Newton with his grandparents to marry a rich old local minister. Even though his mother returned to him after his stepfather died seven years later, he carried this resentment of abandonment throughout his life.

He became deeply involved in his academic pursuits, especially science. He was accepted in Cambridge, aged 19, focused in his own research that he almost failed his course work. Unknown to his teachers, he was well advanced, already developing the latest mathematical and scientific ideas of Descartes.

Calamity Year Turned Blessing

In 1665, a plague struck England that closed Cambridge. Newton was forced to return to Woolsthorpe for a year. This turned a blessing in disguise for him as he further developed work on Descartes, creating the mathematics of calculus (he called 'method of fluxions'), that studies how fast things change. Understanding speed or acceleration is essential in explaining how forces work. By using Archimedes's polygons and rectangles in relation to areas of circles and curves, he was able to analyze speed at any given time.

Newton's greatest discoveries were threefold:

• Law of gravity (remembering the apple that fell from his garden)
• Three Laws of motion - first, second, and third law
• Proved that white light is made up of all the rainbow colours

When he returned to Cambridge, whatever discoveries he revealed in school, (for he had the tendency to keep certain experiments to himself) were enough to earn him the post of Lucasian professor of Mathematics.

Turbulence of a Secretive Scientist

Newton's secrecy to some of his findings was to cause him some problems. For instance, it took him about 30 years to publish his work on calculus. German philosopher Leibnitz had published his own version which he also called 'calculus.' The row was so bitter that the Royal Society had to make an inquiry.

A similar case was Robert Hooke's claim that he had solved the planetary motion problem with an inverse square law that governed how planets move. Hooke was right about the inverse square law, however, unlike Newton, Hooke didn't know the why and how of it. Newton did.

'Principia Mathematica' and Fame

In 1687, Newton published his masterpiece, Principia Mathematica, making him an international sensation. He was also famous for the remarkable 'Newtonian' telescope he made, an invention that got him elected president to the Royal Society, leading scientific society in Europe and Britain. He was elected MP for Cambridge.

Isaac Newton's Final Years

In 1696, Newton was appointed Warden of the Royal Mint, where he did his job with excellence, combining it with his post as Royal Society president. He died on March 20, 1723, and was buried with a grand funeral at Westminster Abbey.

Related Links:Overview of Newton's Laws

Why do the earth and other planets orbit the sun?

Sources:

Chambers Biographical Dictionary, edited by Una McGovern, Chambers (2002)

The Great Scientist by John Farndon and Alex Woolf, Anne Rooney and Liz Gogerly, Capella (2005)

Who Discovered What When by David Ellyard, New Holland (2005)