Isaac Newton: A Giant of Modern Science

By 50minutes

Keen to learn but short on time? Get to grips with the life and career of Isaac Newton in next to no time with this concise guide.

50Minutes.com provides a clear and engaging analysis of the life and work of Isaac Newton. Although this English scientist and mathematician is best known for his theory of universal gravitation, he worked in a variety of domains and made major discoveries that revolutionised the way we see the world. Newton remains one of history’s greatest and most influential scientists: until the 20th century, all of modern science was shaped by his theories, and his work laid the foundations for the discipline of classical mechanics.

In just 50 minutes you will:
• Learn key facts about Isaac Newton’s life and career
• Find out how his work revolutionised scientific knowledge at the time
• Understand the impact that Newton’s theories and discoveries had on scientists for generations to come

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• Language: English
• Publisher: 50Minutes.com
• Release date: Mar 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9782806289629

Book preview

Key information

Born: 4 January 1642 in Woolsthorpe (England).

Died: 31 March 1727 in London.

Main discoveries and inventions:

Theory on refraction and the composition of colour (1665-1666).

Infinitesimal calculus (1666-1704).

Reflecting telescope (1671-1672).

Theory of universal gravitation (1684-1687).

Impact of his discoveries:

Development of classical mechanics in physics.

Scientific progress leading to a new theory, namely Albert Einstein’s (1879-1955) theory of relativity.

Introduction

Isaac Newton was a genius who entered the field of mathematics in 1665 and started by reading contemporary authors such as René Descartes (French philosopher, mathematician and scientist, 1596-1650). He soon turned towards problems involving algebra and the calculation of the area of given geometric figures. In this way, in 1666 he formulated the method known as infinitesimal calculus, which allows mathematicians to work based on an infinite series of infinitely small quantities of a mathematical element.

At the same time, Newton worked on analysing the phenomenon of colour as shown through the refraction of light. He carried out experiments using a prism and refuted the idea of simple, homogenous light, arguing instead that light is composite and comprises a continuous spectrum of colours which only appear through refraction, meaning the distortion of a ray of sunlight at the boundary between two different environments, air and glass. Taking this observation as a starting point, he invented a new type of telescope whose lenses were supposed to stop this phenomenon from obstructing the observer’s field of vision.

Newton did not stop there. He had a true passion