Isaac Newton Facts
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Isaac Newton was born in Lincolnshire, England on Christmas
Day, 1634, although due to two different calendars being in use
at the time, the actual date differs.
His father died before his birth, so his mother took care of him for
a little while, until she remarried and left Isaac to take care of his
grandparents.
He attended The King’s School and was an adequate student.
After his mother tried to take him out of school to work on the
farm for a while, he returned to school and was the top in his
class.
Isaac Newton Facts
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In 1661 Isaac attended college at Cambridge University, where he
studied philosophy and the teachings of Aristotle.
By 1665 he earned his BA degree. It was around this time that his
love of mathematics began to develop.
Isaac was also influenced
by the writings of Galileo,
Copernicus, and Kepler,
famous physicists,
astronomers, and
mathematicians.
From 1665-1667 the
University was closed
due to the outbreak of
the Great Plague. During
this time, Isaac worked on
his theories on gravity,
motion, and calculus.
By 1665, Newton had
developed a mathematical
theory that eventually led
to the development of
the branch of math known
as calculus.
In 1669 he began teaching as a professor of math at Cambridge. He
also studied light and optics, as well as developing theories
surrounding white light and the color spectrum. He discovered that
white light was a composite of all the colors in the spectrum.
One of his most important works called “The Philosophiae Naturalis
Principia Mathematica” was a book that discussed the law of gravity
as well as the three laws of motion, and the principles of modern
physics.
Isaac Newton Facts
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Isaac Newton made several important discoveries. They included:
- Gravity: Helped explain the movements of the Sun and other planets in
the solar system
- Laws of Motion: The three of these have become the laws of physics
- Calculus: An important strand in math (previously called fluxions) that is
used in science and engineering
- The Reflecting Telescope: Uses mirrors to reflect light to form an image
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According to legends, Isaac discovered gravity when he was sitting
under an apple tree and an apple fell onto his head.
He also wrote several articles on different interpretations of the
bible.
Isaac Newton had a heliocentric view of the solar system, meaning
he thought the sun was the centre of the solar system, and planets,
including Earth, orbited around it.
In 1696, Isaac became warden of the Royal Mint in London, and
became president of the Royal Society in 1703.
The Royal Mint was a coin-making agency of parliament, and Isaac
took his job very seriously while there.
Many coins taken in by the government for
inspection were found to be counterfeit,
which was punishable by law.
Isaac worked hard to convict criminals
who were found to be creating and
circulating counterfeit money.
Isaac was knighted by the Queen in 1705.
He became Sir Isaac Newton from that
point on.
He estimated that the world would end no
later than 2060.
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Below are a list of books Isaac Newton published on the subjects of
mathematics, ancient history, calculus, light and optics, physical
science, and scientific philosophy:
Title
Year Published
Arithmetica Universalis
1707
The Chronology of Ancient
Kingdoms Amended
1728
Method of Fluxions
1736
Opticks
1704
Philosophiae Naturalis
Principia Mathematica
1687
The Queries
1704
In his final years, Isaac was wealthy but lonely. He was never
married and didn’t have many friends. He suffered from digestion
problems from around age 80, and eventually experienced
abdominal pain and blacked out. He never regained consciousness
Isaac Newton died on March 31, 1727, at the age of 84.
He was buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England.
Name:
Newspaper Article
Isaac Newton has just discovered
gravity! It is said to have happened in
the courtyard when an apple fell from a
tree. Write a newspaper report about
the event. Remember to include the 5
W’s and a picture of the event!
Name:
Newspaper Article