Isaac Newton

Rohan Bala
Alamy

The Kings School hall, where Sir Isaac Newton was educated, Grantham, Lincolnshire, UK Stock Photo - Alamy

When did this person live and

work, educational background? 

• Born and Lived: Sir Isaac Newton was in born in Woolsthorpe England on January 4, 1643 and died on March
31, 1727. Newton father died shortly after he was born .His mother remarried and during his early
childhood Issac Newton was brought by his maternal Grandmother Margery Ayscough. 

• Work:  Newton's work was based on developing theories for light, calculus and celestial mechanics. In June
1661,  Sir Isaac Newton worked as a sizar at Trinity college. In 1669  he is made the Professor of Mathematics
at Cambridge University.

• Educational Background: Sir Issac Newton went to Kings school in Grathham  and was fascinated about
chemistry but was pulled out at age 12 because his mom wanted to become a farmer. In 1665 he got his
degree in Bachelor of Arts. In 1667 Sir Isaac Newton entered the University of Cambridge Trinity college  as a
sizar (Work study type)and later studied there and got his masters. His main insititution were University of
Cambride, royal Society and Royal Mint

• Woolsthorpe Manor in Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, near Grantham, Lincolnshire,

England, is the birthplace and was the family home of Sir Isaac Newton.
 What did they discover, area of study?

• Studies: Issac Newton main area of studies evolved around Physics, Math, Optic and
Astronomy. He also showed interest in alchemy, mysticism and theology.

• Discoveries : Issac Newton scientific discoveries were

    1. Laws of Gravity -  also know as Newton laws of Universal Gravitation. 
  
  
  
  
Why was it important at that time?
• Newton work and discoveries paved the way to individual thinking and
reasoning which greatly influenced the Age of Enlightenment Period in
the 18th Century. It was an era were people blindly believed in
superstition and looked up to Religion or Church for Knowledge and
answer. Science with research, reason and explanation  came to paly an
important part in the Age of Enlightenment  and overpowered faith and
superstitions.
How does their discovery link to our present
understanding of physics? Our curriculum? 
• Relating to our current study of Kinematics, Forces and Energy
• Kinematics : Newton 1st law of gravity teaches us that if a object is at rest or
lying on a table it will always remain like that unless an external force is applied to
change the direction.
How does Newton help our understanding of
physics.
• Well Newton changed the way the world thinks about physics today.
Newton discovered the three laws of gravity and invented Calculus.
He helped us understand gravity and motion.
Well to our curriculum, Newton helped us understanding his law that
impact our daily life.
Newtons first law helps us to understand to why a soccer ball moves
when we kick it because of the un balanced force.
Did they get something wrong?
• Even though Newton's laws described strengths in gravity with great accuracy, he
lacked the idea of how gravity actually works.  
• Einstein was able to explain this through his theory of relativity 250 years after
newton discovered laws of gravity

• Later on in the 19th Century Albert Einstein published '' Theory of

General Relativity'' which states that instead of a pull on the earth there is a push
force on the earth that keep it down.
Is there any interesting personal info about
the physicist, written work, awards etc.? 
• Personal Life : Newton liked being alone during his childhood and later during the
years his focus was mainly on his Discoveries , Invention and Writings. Isaac
Newton never got married and he had few friends. During his teenage he wrote
down all the sins he had committed and one of the was ''Threatening to burn his
Mother and Father and the house. Newton close friend was Nicolas Fatio de
Duillier and great rival was Hooke. Newton spoke 3 languages English, Latin and
Greek. Newton could work very long hour and most of the time forget to eat or
sleep for only 3 to 4 hours which finally made him very ill and mentally stressed.
Newton at age 51 was said to have psychotic issues like delusion, irritability.

• Written Work :
 1.The Principia -  Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy
How did their discovery either support or contradict
previously accepted scientific reasoning?
• Support :  Newton got help form a mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz to develop calculus.

• Before Newton, scientists primarily adhered to ancient theories on color, including those of Aristotle, who believed that all
colors came from lightness (white) and darkness (black). Some even believed that the colors of the rainbow were formed
by rainwater that colored the sky’s rays. Newton disagreed. He performed a seemingly endless series of experiments to
prove his theories.
• Working in his darkened room, he directed white light through a crystal prism on a wall, which separated into the seven
colors we now know as the color spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet). Scientists already knew
many of these colors existed, but they believed that the prism itself transformed white light into these colors. But when
Newton refracted these same colors back onto another prism, they formed into a white light, proving that white light (and
sunlight) was actually a combination of all the colors of the rainbow.

• Newton's First Law Is Really About Aristotle

• If now look back at Newton's First Law, you can see that it is essentially a direct reply to Aristotle. Aristotle says that the
natural state is at rest, Newton says that the natural state of an object is to not change its motion. Many introductory
physics students see the problem with Newton's First Law. Isn't it just the same thing as Newton's Second Law? Yes, but if
you think of it in terms of Aristotle maybe it makes sense.
Work cited
• “Isaac Newton: The Man Who Discovered Gravity.” BBC Teach, BBC,
27 Aug. 2019, https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/isaac-newton-the-man-
who-discovered-
• “Isaac Newton - Biography.” Maths History,
• History.com Editors. “Isaac Newton.” History.com, A&E Television
Networks, 10 Mar. 2015,
• Ross, Oakland. “Einstein Discovered That Gravity Is Not a Force but a
Curvature.” Thestar.com, 18 Aug. 2012,