The Beautiful Mind of Isaac Newton
Even with all the advancements in modern science and technology in many ways we still live in Newton's world.
“Nature and nature’s laws lay hid in night;
God said “Let Newton be” and all was light.”
— British poet Alexander Pope’s eulogy to Sir Isaac Newton
OK, the whole apple thing is subject to debate.
Legend has it that the tumbling fruit plunked young Isaac Newton on the head. Others say he observed its fall and thought “Hmmm… what’s that all about?” Then there are those who claim it never happened at all, but it made for a damn good story.
When the options come down to choosing between truth and legend, choose the legend.
Doesn’t really matter. What matters is that the simple story behind one of the great scientific discoveries in history has for four centuries been attached to one of the most transformative thinkers the world has ever known. Newton took on the wonders of nature and explained them through his unique vision of exploration … combining deduction, induction, mathematics, logic, theism, imagination and wonderment.
His contributions lay the foundation for modern advancements in physics, natural science, mathematics, optics, classical mechanics, biomechanics, engineering and astronomy.
Science has yet to produce a Theory of Everything, but if Newton were alive today he’d undoubtedly say “Hold my beer,” disappear from the public eye for 10 years and emerge with an exquisite solution — written in Latin.
Newton’s Fingerprints
Look around. You might not recognize it, but we still live in Isaac Newton’s world.
His explanations of how things work impact almost every aspect of our everyday life — the construction of buildings and why they don’t fall down … the dynamics behind how your car accelerates, and brakes, and why safety belts and airbags are necessary … even how your washing machine churns to clean your clothes.
His laws apply to the engineering of the roads we drive on … the bridges we cross … the flights we take.
Newton’s work in applied mechanics portended the future of the Industrial Revolution, how machines would power manufacturing on a mass scale, making affordable the common products we own, use and eat.
Almost every waking hour we experience something that has Newton’s fingerprints on it.
Gravity: Newton vs. Einstein
Newton’s Gravity: Force
And, no. Sir Isaac didn’t invent gravity. He defined it in his Theory of Universal Gravitation. Newton’s laws still work for most of the cosmos. Beyond that lies Einstein’s universe, where gravity behaves under a different set of rules in space and time. See below.
In Newton’s law, all objects — from his not-so-apocryphal apple to planets and stars — exert a force that attracts (pulls) other objects. That law of gravitation predicted the motion of planets and objects on Earth — and it's still used, for example, when making the calculations for a rocket launch.
According to Newton, gravitational “attraction” is true for any interacting masses … including yours and the Earth you walk upon.
Einstein’s Gravity: Relativity
The General Theory of Relativity
(For those with a science background, please forgive this layman’s attempt to explain in simple terms Einstein’s remarkable theory).
Einstein’s general theory stated that gravity really isn’t a “force” per se. Rather, he said, gravity is the result of the “curvature” or warping of space and time — so-named Spacetime.
For simplicity’s sake, Spacetime is visualized above as a two-dimensional matrix. According to its actual definition, Spacetime is the fusion of the three familiar elements of space — height, width and depth — and the one dimension of time into a single fourth dimension.
How it works: As shown, the Sun’s mass “curves” and squeezes spacetime in all directions, thus influencing the Earth’s motion. The Earth also curves spacetime, but to a lesser extent because of its smaller mass. However, we do not fall into the Sun because the Sun’s binding influence in spacetime is counteracted by the Earth’s outwards acceleration (centrifugal force). Thus we settle into orbit.
So why don’t I fly off into space? To Newton, gravity is a force that pulls you toward the Earth, and vice-versa. According to Einstein, the Earth is curving spacetime, as are you with your relatively tiny mass. Therefore, gravity is really the interaction between you and the Earth through spacetime.
Pretty cool, eh?
(Note: According to Isaac Asimov, Einstein didn’t disprove Newton’s theories. Rather, he offered that given the scientific limitations of his time Newton’s work was simply incomplete, and that Einstein picked up where he left off.)
Motion
Ever had one of these?
Pretty simple device. But Newton saw something deeper, more compelling. For decades he explored the dynamics governing our hidden kinetic world. His Three Laws of Motion are outlined in meticulous detail in his groundbreaking work Principia Mathematica (see below).
Think of the world as a massive series of interconnected cogs and gears.
Everything causes an action or forces a reaction. When you sit in a chair, you are exerting force down upon the chair, but the chair is exerting equal force to keep you upright. You jump as a wave crashes into you, forcing you backward. Step on the gas and off you go.
Newton figured out the hows and whys centuries ago.
Calculus
It is said that Newton “invented” Calculus on a dare. Here’s the story.
Calculus (Integral and differential) is used as an essential tool in a broad range of scientific disciplines, from physics and engineering to economics and weather forecasting.
Originally known as “fluxions,” calculus charted the constantly changing and variable state of nature in a way that existing algebra and geometry could not. Calculus may be the bane of millions of high school students, but it is a critical tool for mathematicians, engineers and scientists.
Optics
Before Newton, rainbows were considered a mystical phenomenon. Using a prism, Newton figured out that white light consisted of a spectrum of colors, thereby giving us an understanding of how our eyes perceive things.
When he found gazing at the heavens with the existing technology (Galileo’s refracting lens) wasn’t cutting it, he invented his own telescope using more efficient reflective surfaces.
FYI, both the Hubble and the JWST are reflective telescopes.
Principia Mathematica
Newton’s defining work was published in sections between the years 1667-86. It united two competing strands of natural philosophy—experimental induction and mathematical deduction—into the scientific method of the modern era. His emphasis on experimental observation and analysis changed the scope and possibilities of science.
The book includes an all-encompassing explanation of physics, starting with definitions of mass, force, and motion, and going on to explain planetary motion, lunar motion, and ocean tides. It also provides an examination and utilization of calculus and its importance as a language of scientific study.
This seminal work is considered by scholars in multiple fields as the most important scientific document ever published.
One more thing: Principia was written entirely in Latin.
The Absent-Minded Professor
Much has been documented about Isaac Newton, the thinker, the inventor, father of physics, and the Merlin of Math and Motion.
But in life, he was a weird dude. A savant. He was a sickly child and grew into an introverted, asocial and very nasty adult. Some “facts” about this fascinating, complex, idiosyncratic and brilliant man ...
Newton arrived at the University of Cambridge in 1661 at age 19, graduating in 1665. He became a fellow in 1867. In 1669, he succeeded Isaac Barrow in the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics and would hold the seat for 32 years. It is the same chair occupied by the late Stephen Hawking.
His work at Cambridge was largely conducted alone. When the Black Plague hit England in 1665-66, Newton retreated into seclusion, working mostly in private. He rarely published except for submissions to the Royal Society.
Newton was the “Absent-Minded Professor” that nobody liked. He was combative, deeply insecure, and given to fits of depression and temperamental outbursts. His lectures at Cambridge sometimes went unattended.
His focus was so intense that he often went without sleep, forgot to eat, and ignored visitors. He was even said to be so engrossed in thought that he would work for hours on multiple tables without coming out of a stoop.
Newton was almost certainly on the autistic spectrum (Asperger’s).
He (supposedly) lived and died a virgin.
Newton was also a deeply religious man, and always incorporated the word of God in his scientific studies. However, he did not believe in some of the fundamental tenets of Christianity, specifically the doctrine of the Trinity.
He was elected as a Member of Parliament, though he exerted little political influence.
In 1699 Newton was appointed Warden of the Mint for the Monarchy and created a method of minting coins that could not be forged.
Newton was a contemporary of astronomer Edmond Halley (Halley’s Comet), philosopher John Locke, and mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, a rival in developing the principles of Calculus.
He loved selfies. He commissioned 26 known portraits in his lifetime.
Finally, Newton predicted in a letter in 1704 that the world would end in 2060.
Just thought you’d like to know.
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Jim Geschke was inducted into the prestigious Marquis Who’s Who Registry in 2021.
