Krish Mahato
Grade: XI 'C'
29 Aug, 2023
Sir Issac Newton was born on 4th January 1643 and died on 31st March 1727. He was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian and author. He was described in his time as a natural philosopher.
Moreover, he was a key figure in the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment that followed. His pioneering book, first published in 1687, consolidated many previous results and established classical mechanics.
Newton also made seminal contributions to optics and share credit with German Mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz for developing infinitesimal calculus. In ThePrincipia, Newton formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation that formed the dominant scientific view point for centuries until it was superseded by the Theory of Relativity.
Newton used his mathematical description of gravity to derive Kepler’s laws of planetary motion, account for tides, the transections of comets, the precession of the equinoxes and other phenomena, eradicating doubt about the solar system as heliocentric. He demonstrated that the motion of objects on earth and celestial bodies could be accounted for by the same principles. Newton built the first practical reflecting telescope and developed a sophisticated theory of colour based prism separating white light.