Isaac Newton the English man who discovered gravitation and Newtonain Mechanics. Read this biography to find out more about his life

Quick Facts

ALSO LISTED IN

Physicists

FAMOUS AS

Physicist, Mathematician, Astronomer

NATIONALITY

British    Famous British Men

BORN ON

25 December 1642 AD

BIRTHDAY

25th December    Famous 25th December Birthdays

DIED AT AGE

85

SUN SIGN

Capricorn    Capricorn Men

BORN IN

Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth

DIED ON

20 March 1727 AD

PLACE OF DEATH

Kensington

FATHER

Isaac Newton Sr.

MOTHER

Hannah Ayscough

MARRIED

No

EDUCATION

Trinity College
Cambridge (1668)
Trinity College
Cambridge (1661 – 1665)
The King's School
Grantham (1661)

DISCOVERIES / INVENTIONS

Reflecting Telescop

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\An extraordinary genius and proficient physicist, mathematician, astronomer and alchemist, Sir Isaac Newton is considered to be the greatest and the most influential scientist who ever lived. One of the paramount contributors of the 17th century Scientific Revolution, he developed the principles of modern physics which he laid out in his book, ‘Philosophiae, Natrualis, Principia Mathematica’. Popularly known as Principia, the book highlighted the concepts of universal gravitation and laws of motions which remained at the forefront of science for centuries after. Furthermore, he worked on and developed the theory of color. He was the first to lay out the fact that color is an intrinsic property of light and that when reflected, scattered or transmitted, a white light decomposed into numerous colors that are visible in the spectrum or in the rainbow. He was responsible for building the first practical telescope. Newton also contributed to the study of power series, generalised the binomial theorem to non-integer exponents, and developed method for approximating the roots of a function. Apart from all the aforementioned, Newton made noteworthy and substantial contribution in the field of alchemy and theology as well. In his life, he held numerous significant positions such as serving as the Lucasian Professor of mathematics, President of the Royal Society and Warden and Master of the Mint. Thus, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Newton, single-handedly, achieved milestones in physics that laid the groundwork for future discoveries by scientists across the globe.

Childhood & Early Life

• Isaac Newton was born to Hannah Ayscough and Isaac Newton on the Christmas of 1642. His father died three months prior to his birth. Hannah remarried Reverend Barnabus Smith, leaving the three-year old Newton under the care of his maternal grandmother, Margery Ayscough.
• Newton attained his preliminary education from The King’s School in Grantham, where he excelled and achieved the top-rank. He then enrolled himself as a sizar at the Trinity College, Cambridge in 1661.
• It was during his years at the Cambridge that Newton developed an interest in physics, mathematics, optics and astronomy. Though he was taught standard curriculum, he developed an interest in advanced science and spent his time reading works of modern philosophers.
• A plague epidemic of 1665 forced the shutdown of the college for two years, which Newton spent at his home in Woolsthorpe. However, he did not let go of his studies and continued the same privately.
• It was during these two years of hiatus from regular studies that Newton worked on the development of his theories on calculus, optics and law of gravitation. He even discovered the generalised binomial theorem and began to develop a mathematical theory that later became infinitesimal calculus.
• Newton contributed heavily to the field of mathematics, distinctly advancing every branch of the subject then studied. His work on fluxions or calculus was featured in the manuscript of 1666, which was later published with his mathematical papers.
• It was his solutions to the contemporary problems in analytical geometry of drawing tangents to curves (differentiation) and defining areas bounded by curves (integration) that brought him into the limelight. Newton discovered that the problems were inverse to each other.
• He also discovered general methods of resolving problems of curvature, through his method of fluxions and inverse method of fluxions, today known as differentiation and integration calculus. Unlike Leibniz’s usage of algebraically expressing calculus, Newton used both algebra and geometry to express the same.
• Furthermore, Newton is credited for finding out the generalised binomial theorem. He even discovered Newton's identities, Newton's method and classified cubic plane curves.
• Newton made significant contribution to the theory of finite differences and was the first to employ fractional indices and coordinate geometry to derive solutions to Diophantine equations
• He returned to Cambridge in 1667 as a Fellow of Trinity. However, the same required him to become an ordained priest, something which he detested from due to his unconventional views.
• Newton postponed the ordination indefinitely but could not prolong it further in 1669 when he was elected for the prestigious Lucasian Chair, an appointment for which ordination was a prerequisite. However, he secured special permission from Charles II which helped him to avoid ordination.