$1,000,000
Isaac Newton
Net Worth
Born in (City)
Woolsthrope
Born in (Country)
England
Date of Birth
25th December, 1642
Date of Death
17th December, 1727
Mother
Hannah Ayscough
Father
Isaac Newton, Sr
About
Isaac Newton changed the way we understand the universe. Revered even now, he discovered the laws of gravity and motion. Sir Isaac Newton PRS (25 December 1642 )was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, theologian, and author (described in his time as a "natural philosopher") who is widely recognised as one of the greatest mathematicians and most influential scientists of all time and as a key figure in the scientific revolution. His book Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), first published in 1687, established classical mechanics. Newton also made seminal contributions to optics, and shares credit with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz for developing the infinitesimal calculus.
Early Life
When Newton was 19, he began his scientific studies at Cambridge University in England. He studied a classical Aristoteliansim , the teachings on which primary theories of science and nature for almost thousand years was based upon. While Newton was a student at Cambridge, he found himself fascinated by theories of French philosophers René Decartes and Peirre Gassendi, even devoting a set of notes to his outside readings he titled, “Quaestiones Quaedam Philosophicae” (“ Certain Philosophical Questions”). They believed the physical world was built of particles of matter and that the interaction of these particles resulted in natural observable phenomena and in a little more than a year he mastered algebraic techniques to solve problems of geometry. The Great Plague struck and shuttered Cambridge in 1665, Newton returned home and began formulating his theories on calculus, light and color. Between 1666-76, he performed basic experiments and did the thinking for his later work on Gravitation. His family farm was the setting for the supposed falling apple that inspired his work on gravity.
Road to Success
Newton's work has been said "to distinctly advance every branch of mathematics then studied." His work on the subject usually referred to as fluxions or calculus, seen in a manuscript of October 1666, is now published among Newton's mathematical papers. The author of the manuscript De analysi per aequationes numero terminorum infinitas, sent by Isaac Barrow to John Collins in June 1669, was identified by Barrow in a letter sent to Collins in August . Newton later became involved in a dispute with Leibniz over priority in the development of calculus (the Leibniz–Newton calculus controversy). Most modern historians believe that Newton and Leibniz developed calculus independently, although with very different mathematical notations. Occasionally it has been suggested that Newton published almost nothing about it until 1693, and did not give a full account until 1704, while Leibniz began publishing a full account of his methods in 1684. Leibniz's notation and "differential Method", nowadays recognised as much more convenient notations, were adopted by continental European mathematicians, and after 1820 or so, also by British mathematicians. When Newton received his MA and became a Fellow of the "College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity" in 1667, he made the commitment that "I will either set Theology as the object of my studies and will take holy orders when the time prescribed by these statutes [7 years] arrives, or I will resign from the college." Up until this point he had not thought much about religion and had twice signed his agreement to the thirty-nine articles, the basis of Church of England doctrine. He was appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in 1669, on Barrow's recommendation. During that time, any Fellow of a college at Cambridge or Oxford was required to take holy orders and become an ordained Anglican priest. However, the terms of the Lucasian professorship required that the holder not be active in the church – presumably,[weasel words] so as to have more time for science. Newton argued that this should exempt him from the ordination requirement, and Charles II, whose permission was needed, accepted this argument. Thus a conflict between Newton's religious views and Anglican orthodoxy was averted.
Challenges
With every story comes challenges, and Isaac Newton had his share. When he was born, he was premature and extremely small. His mother often said that he could fit into a quart mug. He did not have much of a family. His father had died three months before his birth. His mother remarried when he was three, but she left him in his maternal grandmother's care. As he got older, he had hard times concentrating and often got sidetracked. In 1679, his mother died. He was prone to depression and often had bitter disputes, usually with other scientists. Some of these bitter disputes lasted for decades. He was always concerned about what others thought about his beliefs and ideas. He was arrogant and always thought he was right. He worried that others would not believe him. Although he had a rough start, he persevered and kept going despite all his challenges. He suffered from two nervous breakdowns. During those breakdowns, he went to bed but did not get any sleep for five nights, and thought that his friends were plotting against him. Also, he plotted against Gottfried Leibniz, who he believed stole calculus from him.
Failures
Newton-Raphson method frequently fails and is of limited usefulness. This is not the case; in nearly all cases encountered in practice it is very rapid and does not require a particularly good first guess. Nevertheless for completeness it should be pointed out that there are rare occasions when the method either fails or converges rather slowly.
Newton’s third law of motion states that when we apply action force on the body, it gives equal magnitude of reaction force. Thus, it is said that “In every action there is equal and opposite reaction. But this is a one sided law. It is not applicable in all the cases when the force is exerted between two bodies. There are more incidents in this universe which fails Newton’s third law of motion. Friction, nature of body, impulse etc. are the reasons for unequal action and reaction. Mathematically, according to the conservation of linear momentum, m1u1+m2u2=m1v1+m2v2. The sum of linear momentum before collision and sum of linear momentum after collision is zero or equal to become the equal action and reaction. But if the sum of linear momentum before collision and sum of linear momentum after collision is not zero or if the values are not equal to each other, in this case we can say that action and reaction force are not equal. My new law states that “When any two matters come in contact, the action and reaction of the matter depend on its structure and condition.” It implies that the action and reaction can be equal or unequal also. There are many mathematical and practical experiments which prove that there are many defects. So, this law should be changed and should be wide the concept in a new law. Otherwise it is sure that it will bring more confusion among teacher and students in the world.
Achievements
Lucasian Professor 1669|Fellow of the Royal Society 1672|President of the Royal Society 1703-1727|Popular biographies list Number 5|Goldene Kamera: Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013
Quotes
- Genius is patience.
- If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.
- I see I have made my self a slave to Philosophy.