SIR ISAAC NEWTON

1. SirSir
IsaacIsaac
““Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in nightNature and Nature's laws lay hid in night
God said ‘Let Newton be!’God said ‘Let Newton be!’
And all was light.”And all was light.”
- Alexander Pope- Alexander Pope
NewtonNewton

2. 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

3. SchoolingSchooling
► Entered Trinity College atEntered Trinity College at
Cambridge University atCambridge University at
age 18 and beganage 18 and began
studying to become astudying to become a
ministerminister
► Graduated at age 23Graduated at age 23
► Returned to the farmReturned to the farm
because of the Blackbecause of the Black
DeathDeath
 He got bored and ended upHe got bored and ended up
working on the binomialworking on the binomial
theorem, light, telescopes,theorem, light, telescopes,
calculus, and theologycalculus, and theology
Newton in about 1702

4. CalculusCalculus
► Started developing Calculus asStarted developing Calculus as
early as 1666 but never really gotearly as 1666 but never really got
around to publishing mucharound to publishing much
► In about 1668, Wilhelm LeibnizIn about 1668, Wilhelm Leibniz
began developing very similarbegan developing very similar
ideas and published them beforeideas and published them before
Newton’s published his workNewton’s published his work
► Arguing ensuedArguing ensued
► (Leibniz used dy/dx notation;(Leibniz used dy/dx notation;
Newton used ẏ)Newton used ẏ)
Post-Modern Newton

5. OpticksOpticks
► Discovered that light is madeDiscovered that light is made
up of a spectrum of colorsup of a spectrum of colors
► Made the first telescope thatMade the first telescope that
used a curved mirror instead ofused a curved mirror instead of
lenseslenses
► Believed that light was madeBelieved that light was made
up of “corpuscles” rather thanup of “corpuscles” rather than
waves (Hooke and Huygenswaves (Hooke and Huygens
disagreed)disagreed)
► Didn’t publish any of this untilDidn’t publish any of this until
the after the death of Hooke inthe after the death of Hooke in
17031703
Newton in the Lab

7. Apples and StuffApples and Stuff
► Formulated Newton’sFormulated Newton’s
LawsLaws
► Proved that the forceProved that the force
of gravity is inverselyof gravity is inversely
proportional toproportional to
distance squareddistance squared
► After conqueringAfter conquering
gravity, motion andgravity, motion and
optics, decided to workoptics, decided to work
on changing lead intoon changing lead into
goldgold

8. Religious ViewsReligious Views
► Wrote a book about the fall ofWrote 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 sun,This most beautiful system of the sun,
planets, and comets, could onlyplanets, and comets, could only
proceed from the counsel andproceed from the counsel and
dominion of an intelligent Being ... Thisdominion of an intelligent Being ... This
Being governs all things ... as Lord ofBeing governs all things ... as Lord of
all. . . Atheism is so senseless. When Iall. . . Atheism is so senseless. When I
look at the solar system, I see thelook at the solar system, I see the
earth at the right distance from the sunearth at the right distance from the sun
to receive the proper amounts of heatto receive the proper amounts of heat
and light. This did not happen byand light. This did not happen by
chance.”chance.”
► His religious ideas got him in troubleHis religious ideas got him in trouble
because he taught at a church-runbecause he taught at a church-run
universityuniversity

9. Newtonian TriviaNewtonian Trivia
► Became Master of the RoyalBecame Master of the Royal
Mint in 1699Mint in 1699
► First scientist to be knightedFirst scientist to be knighted
for his work (1708)for his work (1708)
► Elected President of the RoyalElected President of the Royal
Society every year from 1703Society every year from 1703
to 1727to 1727
► Member of Parliament (1689-Member of Parliament (1689-
1690)1690)
► Died in 1727Died in 1727
Newton in 1726

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