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Isaac Newton

Impulse and momentum are included in the Second Law of Motion. This law applies to everything moving, such as cars in a collision. However, before cars even existed and the law was even invented (or discovered). A baby by the name of Isaac Newton was born. On January 4, 1463, the widowed wife of prosperous local farmer Isaac Newton, Hannah Ayscough Newton, gave birth to Isaac Newton prematurely. Three years later he was left in the hands of his maternal grandmother while his mother married Barnabas Smith. This deeply affected him later on in his life giving him insecurity. And leading to some irrational behavior.

Isaac showed no interest in farm life, even after the return of his mother and half-siblings. His intellectual abilities led his uncle to get him into University of Cambridge’s Trinity College. He was in a work-study program because he wasn’t very wealthy. Upon his arrival at the university, the Scientific Revolution was already going at full speed and all of the ideas coming from this revolution profoundly impacted him. Learning the regular curriculum was not enough for him; he wanted to explore complex science which he began to do so independently during this time.

The Great Plague forced the school to close but as soon as it reopened Isaac Newton returned. The time off served him well as it was during this time that he came up with calculus, his theories on light and color, his theories on gravity, and the beginnings of the laws of planetary motion. When he return he found Mercator's studies on infinite series. Inspired by this which he wrote a treatise in response to it. Isaac Barrow, a mentor, shared it with John Collins and was Newton was highly praised for his work. When Barrow resigned, Isaac Newton took his place as a professor.

His reflecting telescope caught the attention of The Royal Society and they asked for a demonstration and insight on his studies over light, color, and optics. He was then encouraged to publish his notes which are now known as Newton's Opticks: Or, A treatise of the Reflections, Refractions, Inflections and Colours of Light. Robert Hooke became an enemy during this time as they had opposing views on the topic. His nervous breakdown and the death of his mother caused him to go into isolation for 6 years. It was during this time that he came up with a formula involving inverse squares that explain the attraction between planets and the shape of their orbits. Later on, Hooke got a similar idea but was unable to prove it. Edmond Halley, a Royal Society member, went to see Newton and asked him to find a formula. Newton claimed to have done that already 18 years ago but he couldn't find his notes. Halley persuaded him to do it again and find the formula.

In 1687, just 18 months after the visit, Newton published Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy). This is what became the principles of physics. The three laws of motion made their debut in this book and they helped explain all motions in the universe. Hooke claimed plagiarism but no proof was found.

After the publication of Principia, he became an international figure and continued to associate with intellectual people and people of high class. Shortly after this, he had a nervous breakdown and when he returned to society he decided to focus on alchemy. He became master of the Mint and later was elected as President of the Royal Society upon Hooke’s death.

In the twilight of his years, he lived with his niece near Winchester, England. On March 30, he experienced severe abdominal pain and blacked out. The next day on, March 31, 1727, at the age of 84, he died.

Bibliography

Isaac Newton. (2017). Retrieved January 31, 2017, from bio.: http://www.biography.com/people/isaac-newton